Darkest Fire
by Mizuki99
Summary: Time changes people and Sawada Tsunayoshi is no exception. Seventeen years of age, Tsuna goes out for a walk after a heated argument with Reborn... only he never reaches his destination. Bagged and gagged, Tsuna finds himself in enemy territory. Now he has to find his way back to Japan without letting his hunters know that he's Vongola Decimo. Semi-AU.
1. Chapter 1: Only the Beginning

**_Author's Note_**: It's been a while since I've posted anything that could potentially be considered a story and this one isn't really planned out so expect anything. This is a high-action, high-speed story. Semi-AU but still relates to the Canon timeline. This takes place four years after Reborn's arrival at the Sawada household so Tsuna is seventeen and a bit of a wild-child.

Tsuna is a bit OOC but also remember, a lot of stuff has happened.

**_Summary_**: Time changes people and Sawada Tsunayoshi is no exception. Seventeen years of age, Tsuna goes out for a walk after a heated argument with Reborn... only he never reaches his destination. Bagged and gagged, Tsuna finds himself in enemy territory. Now he has to find his way back to Japan without letting his hunters knew that he's Vongola Decimo. Semi-AU.

_**Warning**_: There will be graphic depictions of violence, dark themes and yaoi later on.

_**Main Pairings**_:X27R/R27X [Destructive Love Triangle, hm?] and many others. Expect anything.

**_Edit as of 3/28/2013! Fixed some plot holes and redid the argument scene._**

* * *

Picking a lock was easy for a hitman who had lived for at least half a century. Maybe if his no-good student knew that, he wouldn't have locked his door. Stepping silently into the room, he signaled for Leon to transform as he slinked closer to the bed.

Reborn felt his lips curl into a feral smirk as he raised a hammer above Tsuna's sleeping form, about ready to wake his slumbering student for an early morning jog when cold realization dawned down on him. Hard. His sleeping student, who was clad in only a towel that seemed to have opened somewhat during his slumber, was left mostly bare to Reborn's range of sight.

The thin but shapely cream-colored legs of his student were visible to all due to the length of the towel and since it was only wrapped around his hips, having moved sometime during the night, he got a clear view of Tsuna's lithe body.

Tsuna looked nothing like a Japanese teenager—sans for his physique. His eyes were wide and expressive but not almond shaped like most Japanese had. His thick lashes framed his warm brown eyes and casted shadows along his high cheek bones, still hidden away from years of baby fat that had yet to melt away, and soft curve of a jaw. His throat wasn't terribly pronounced but Reborn felt his mouth watering at the opportunity to mark all of that flawless skin.

He had grown out his hair so that the back of it had a tail but the rest of it remained as fluffy as ever, layered and cropped so that he didn't have to manage it much. The longer silken locks fanned out as his face scrunched together, almost pouting with childish discontent.

His upper body was sprinkled with moisture, still dripping from his shower earlier that morning, and his hair was strung out thinly. The caramel brown locks contrasted against his cream skin. His chest was lean, lithe but toned well with catlike muscles that allowed him to maneuver in mid air. His stomach was flat with a slight outline of muscle but not enough to be called ripped. His perky buds were slightly darker than the rest of his skin tone and hard from the air molesting his skin.

A common trait for anyone that wields Dying Will Flames was a lack of body hair in some places—arms, legs, thighs and chest being those selective places. The high density heat also saved the teenagers that wielded them from trivial things like acne because the bacteria that created the horrid mars couldn't grow. It was also the reason why most people in the underground didn't catch the normal grade diseases and illnesses that existed.

Reborn could see now the Vongola blood that coursed through Tsuna's veins.

Through Reborn's eyes, Tsuna's naïve, nude form all but screamed '_fuck me **hard**, fuck me **now**_' and oh Vongola, how he wanted to. Tsuna was seducing him without even realizing it. The towel, if Tsuna just moved his legs just a little bit, Reborn would get a clear chance to see just how developed Tsuna really was.

That thought made his mouth water.

Ignoring the tightness growing in his slacks, Reborn regained his composure and let the hammer collide with his student's head. Tsuna let out a shriek—his voice cracking about half-way through—before hastily wrapping his sheet around him and shoving Reborn out and hastily slamming the door.

On the other side of the wooden barrier, Tsuna blushed heavily, mouth agape, as he thought about what just happened.

Reborn had just seen him as bare as the day he was born. Oh God, Reborn had just seen him _naked_. Didn't he lock the door?! How the hell did the hitman even get in?

Tsuna groaned. Today was going to be a _wonderful_ day.

* * *

'_Reborn always says that I need to stop being so emotional,_' Tsuna reflected bitterly. '_I just never thought he meant that he would one day piss me off enough to leave the house for the night. Maybe I was just hoping for too much._'

This all started with a bullet. One small silenced bullet that cracked past him, seemingly materializing out of nowhere one day when he was walking home—strangely enough—alone.

Sawada Tsunayoshi was walking down an alley-way, dimly lit and covered with shadows, as a short-cut to Kokuyo. After a steamed argument with Reborn, he had said he was going to Hayato's but instead, bypassed his temperamental Storm and headed straight for Kokuyo.

That had been his fatal mistake.

The bullet plowed into a dark brick, covered in grime. He felt his cheek sting as tiny buts of the shattered clay burst from the impact. Every muscle in his body ceased as his instincts kicked in. He could quite literally hear his tutor snarling lessons into his ear as he ducked into a crouch, dodging the next onslaught of bullets.

"Vongola Decimo!"

Ah, so that's what this was about. He bolted to his left, still crouching. Taking one long step, he dropped to the right shoulder and rolled just as a hunter's knife embedded itself into the cement beside him. Steadying his breathing, he shoved violently away from the ground and spun so that his back was against the brick wall. A bullet flew past him and clanged on the trash bin at the end of the alley-way.

Deciding not to stay in closed quarters Tsuna propelled himself forward into a rapid sprint, the pads of his feet tapping against the ground. This alley broke off into three others, two of which leading to dead ends and the third leading to the Kokuyo district. Across from the branching alley-way was the back-door entrance to the apartment complex that Ken, Chikusa and Chrome were staying at.

Tsuna had never been so thankful that Kokuyo Land had been set up for demolition before.

"Sawada Tsunayoshi…" A deep throaty voice rasped from behind him and he froze, jerking to a stop.

Fucking illusionists.

"Now I've got you…" A figure stepped out of the shadows and Tsuna froze, tensing as his pressed his back to the corner of the dead end he had been tricked into turning to. Tsuna's eyes scanned the alley-way, looking for signs of escape as his Vongola Blood kicked in and shattered the illusionist's grasp on him. Fingers of panic gripped at his mind. He was alone, his gloves were in his bag and an assassin was hovering over him with a gun aimed at his heart.

"Please…" Tsuna said softly. "I'll give you anything you want… money? I can write you a check… power? One phone call from me and you're set. I'm Vongola Decimo… please don't kill me." Tsuna made his voice quiver and fake fear entered his eyes.

In all honesty, this guy wouldn't even get a glance at him. He was clean and would usually have women falling all over him but at the moment, Tsuna couldn't look past the fact that he had resorted to fooling him, Reborn's lesson blaring loudly in his mind—"_New age assassins like to dominate their victims. If you must, plead and beg for them to let you go. Don't be afraid to bribe them… but if you go through with any of those bribes, I will spare you the trouble and put a bullet in your brain myself._"—as he did so.

"Pathetic… I guess you're just a kid after all…" The man mused, his emerald eyes lingering a second too long on Tsuna's body. An amateur, if he was being obvious about looking him over with less than pleasant ideals flashing in his eyes meaning he'd fall to seduction. "Though I have to wonder if you're a child in every way."

"P-Please…" Tsuna repeated, his voice dropping in an anxious whisper. "I'll do a-anything you want…"

The man stepped closer, his gloved hand grabbing his face and turning it to the side, probably looking for love-marks on his throat. Another of Reborn's more embarrassing lessons came to mind—"_Assassins that easily fall to seduction will look over your neck and shoulders for bite marks. If they intend on letting you live and keeping them for yourself, they'll mark you right on the spot. Keep in mind, though, if that assassin marks you, you might as well be signing a contract with Mukuro because they have every intention of breaking you and selling you on the market as a sex slave._"—and Tsuna tensed.

Just as the man leaned in, most likely to inhale his scent, Tsuna ignited his flame and pressed his palm against the guy's stomach, the flesh melting away. He screamed out in pain and the humidity that followed Mist flames vanished. Retracting his hand, Tsuna lunged passed him and bolted for the alley-way across from there.

Short on ideas but long on desperation, Tsuna dived for a crack between two buildings that weren't even big enough to house a trash-bin. Rough concrete scrapped against his skin but he ignored it. The man's blood dripped from his fingers and he wrinkled his blue vest to get the thick, warm liquid off.

Feet and ragged breathing where the only sounds Tsuna heard. He didn't even breathe himself and his heart-beat thudded unevenly in his chest. He watched from the shadow of his hiding place as the man walked passed him. His presence was smothered so he wasn't seen. He closed his eyes to hide the glow of his amber orbs and watched through the veil of his charcoal lashes. The man passed but Tsuna waited until he couldn't sense him before he exited his hiding place.

After stepping out though, he had heard a shrill scream—the sound of a woman followed by pleading and begging. He knew rape happened in big cities like this but since there were no cops in place, Tsuna decided to take matters into his own hands.

That had been his first mistake. He hadn't stopped and looked around. He should have known that that assassin would have a backup plan. Spinning around, Tsuna's leg lashed out and collided with the illusionist's head and sent him flying back, his blood smearing on the filthy, garbage-coated ground of the alley-way maze.

Tsuna looked down at the assassin and sighed, "You know, I was hoping for a better fight…" His taunting words were cut off when a scream erupted from behind him—a real scream.

Seeing his chance, the assassin lunged for the woman and pointed a gun to her head. "Now now, you're going to come quietly or I'll kill this woman."

"Let her go. She's got nothing to do with this," The words came out before he could stop them.

"Oh, but she's got everything to do with this now… throw your bag over there and get on your knees." He jerked his chin to the wall beside him. Tsuna obliged, throwing it away before kneeling down and residing on the ground.

"Tch, don't you know better than to turn your back on a woman?" The woman asked jeeringly before spinning around and slamming her stiletto heals into his wound, further tearing it open. Without waiting, she grabbed his gun and fired three times—his diaphragm, his lung and his heart.

The illusionist assassin fell to the floor, limp and Tsuna fought the bile rising in his throat. Killing was nothing new to him, after all. It shouldn't still affect him like this but the twinge of guilt reminded him that he was still human and his morals were still in place.

"Hm, you're a bit scrawny but you'll do." She looked him over. Before Tsuna could open his mouth, the butt of her stolen gun landed on his head, pulling him into darkness.

* * *

"—looks like a good one—"

"—where did you get—"

"—ways in Namimori, Japan—"

"—after him? Is he important?"

"Dunno… but I sense he has Dying Will Flames. You might need to collar him." Tsuna's eyes widened when the haze lifted and jerked into an upright position. "Oh look, the little one is awake." The woman he recognized from the alley-way taunted. Now that he got a better look of her, she had dark green eyes narrowed into slits and raking over him with cold calculation—eyes of a killer. "You have a name?" Tsuna clamped his mouth shut, resisting the urge to tell her where to shove those words of hers. "Why was that assassin after you?" Again, no answer.

Tsuna watched her with wary, eyes narrowed and hairs prickling. This woman… she seemed familiar. "I know who you are… Mochizuki Sarada, right?" Tsuna questioned. "You run one of the biggest human trafficking rings in Japan. Not even the infamous Hibari Kyoya could pin evidence on you."

"That's right, doll," She jeered, lips curling into a sneer. "You know me, but I don't know you. Would you mind introducing yourself?" Tsuna's eyes narrowed, lips curling with distaste. This woman… she was out of the know which meant she was an enemy of the Vongola. Even acquaintances who weren't sure of their standing with Vongola knew who he was. It was the enemies that were left in the dark about it and from what he could tell, she was in the dark.

"Hn, it doesn't matter. You have Dying Will Flames so that means you have to be collared. Suzuki! Bring the collar," She stepped towards Tsuna, reaching out and Tsuna jerked away from her cold touch. The chains that bound him rattled with his movement.

The woman grabbed the chains around his throat and yanked him forward. Three others came around, holding his shoulders, lets and arms. The woman grabbed hold of his hair, and he resisted the urge to lash out, settling for flexing his bound hands in frustration. The woman in front of him raised the leather collar... and Tsuna's Vongola Intuition went off like a biohazard alarm, blaring loudly in his mind.

The collar was leather and looked like any other dog collar—with the loop for the leash and everything—but on the inside of it, there was wiring and two vials of blue and violent liquid. It also had a lock that secured it. Tsunayoshi knew he wanted nothing to do with that collar.

So he bucked against the hold on him like a wild horse, trying futilely to twist away from their grip on him. Someone kicked him at the base of his spine, forcing him to lose sensation in his legs and sending him lurching to the floor. Hands gripped his shoulders, keeping him down as his hair was wrenched forward so sharply he felt tears prick his caramel eyes, baring the side of his neck.

The needle slid into his flesh making him cry out at the pinching sensation. He could feel a drop of the toxin slipping into his body and taking immediate effect—whatever it was. His instincts kicked in though, and his flame flared to life…

…only never to meet the surface.

The men holding him, however, screamed in pain and the smell of burning flesh mingled with the air around them.

But that one thing alone drained Tsuna. The collar must have had some sort of Dying Will Flame suppressant that prevented the energy from materializing… meaning he could heat up his flesh to burning levels but he couldn't use his flame at all. But that also meant that they wouldn't be able to see his element either and Reborn warned him about showing off his Sky Element without publicizing that he was Vongola Decimo.

Reborn… was he out looking for him? Did he even know he was missing yet? Probably not… considering he said that he was going to Hayato's but was heading towards Kokuyo instead. He had the mind to call Hayato and tell him that he was headed to Kokuyo but Chrome's cell phone had been turned off so she didn't get his message—wouldn't get his message until it was turned back on.

The argument he had with Reborn ran back through his mind, burning sharply like molten lava on his conscience.

-Flashback-

_Tsuna breathed deeply through his nose, the air hissing as it left his body. He didn't have the time to doddle around. He had to be straight with Reborn. He even waited until he was pleasantly buzzed with his favorite wine. "Reborn…" Tsuna began, pouring him another glass and then proceeding to get up and put the dishes away._

_His mother was at the store and had taken the children with her, Bianchi was at her apartment on the far side of town and Tsuna's friends were probably at Hayato's blowing off some of this week's steam. This was the perfect opportunity. "I wanted to talk to you about… Mukuro." His silvery-black eyes narrowed as they opened and zoomed in on Tsuna with some sort of hyper-awareness—however glazed they were before, it instantly vanished. Since he hadn't been hit, Tsuna took that as his cue to continue. "I want to release Mukuro from Vendicare."_

_"Next subject," Reborn's baritone lull was sharp as it slashed through the air. Tsuna scrubbed the plate with a little more force than necessary but held his ground._

_"He's changed you know," Tsuna said softly, his long fingers scrubbing away the sauce from their late dinner. The air was still but Tsuna knew he was facing a viper that was all too willing to turn his fangs against him. Maybe that was the problem. "He's not the same anymore, Reborn. Being locked away from any and all human interaction… it's too cruel, too barbaric. Vendice is everything I despise and for one of my own to be locked—" Tsuna cut off when Reborn's hand collided with the cupboard beside his head, almost breaking it._

_"He is not one of yours." Reborn growled menacingly. "He is a criminal and deserves to be where he is."_

_"Reborn!" Tsuna spun around, eyes flaring. "You of all people should know what it's like to be trapped in your own body! The pain, the isolation of it all… he's been captured enough. Let me set my Mist free!"_

_"You'll be doing it even if I say no." Reborn cut in, eyes narrowing into slits and making Tsuna flinch at how easily the hitman read him. "Then it seems I've given you too much freedom."_

_"Are—are you grounding me?!" Tsuna demanded in what was supposed to be a menacing tone if it weren't for the fact that his voice broke half-way through. "I'm not a child, Reborn and Mukuro is not a criminal."_

_"He slaughtered Estraneo single handedly and mercilessly." Reborn said with narrowed eyes._

_"They experimented on him from birth!" Tsuna countered. "They were the merciless ones!"_

_"He possessed your friends."_

_"And they've forgiven him for it."_

_"I haven't." Reborn declared. "Tsuna, anyone involved with Mukuro is dangerous. That includes that girl, understand? I don't want you around them." Tsuna looked away and Reborn's eyes flashed. "You haven't been around them, have you?" His voice was low, threatening, laced with malicious intent._

_"They've changed, Reborn." Tsuna repeated, not meeting his gaze._

_"Tsuna, I don't trust him."_

_"I do… and you trust me, don't you?" Tsuna asked, turning around to face the hitman who was pointedly looking anywhere but where he was. "Don't you?" He pressed. "It doesn't matter. Mukuro is my Manipulating Mist and you can do nothing to change that." Tsuna turned back to doing those dishes._

_"I can strip him of his status as a Vongola Guardian." Reborn said sharply and Tsuna lost his hold on the plate he was cleaning._

_"You will do no such thing." Tsuna said levelly, eyes flashing sunset and narrowing dangerously._

_"I was chosen to tutor you. That means if I find someone more suitable for the position than who Iemitsu supplied, I can change that." Reborn said, standing his ground. Tsuna suddenly felt very small in comparison to this adult Arcobaleno but refused to let the height difference intimidate him._

_"Just try it. You can be the reason the Ninth has to name someone else his heir. I'd like to see what happens to the almighty Number One Hitman when he has the wrath of the entire Vongola on his head." Tsuna countered, picking up the shards._

_"I've had hundreds of curses spit at me by the lives I've taken. That hardly bothers me." Reborn replied haughtily. Tsuna sighed softly. "I don't want Rokudo Mukuro outside of his cage."_

_Rokudo Mukuro will not be released and that's final." Reborn cut, sounding very much like a scolding father._

_"Don't treat me like a child!" Tsuna snapped, spinning around and glaring at Reborn, dropping the shards of porcelain. "And he **will** be released. **You** have no say on the matter. **Is** that not clear enough for you?"_

_Before Tsuna could blink, he was being forced onto the floor, a leather shoe on the side of his head. The shards of the plate he had dropped in his anger were digging into his chest, almost cutting him. "You will not use that tone with me again." Reborn said calmly, ordering, demanding._

_"Release me," Tsuna ordered, his eyes flaring to life and his Will unbending. "I said **LET ME GO!**" Tsuna forced Reborn away, pushing up off the floor. Without thinking, Tsuna launched forward and his hand lashed against Reborn's cheek. "Mukuro is **mine**. **You** have no say in who I claim as **mine** until the day I submit to you and I will **never** submit to an **insensitive**,** thick-skulled KILLER**!"_

_Tsuna strode past Reborn, stepping up the hallway and throwing some clothes into a duffle back. "Where do you think you're going?" Reborn demanded, eyes flaring and killer intent practically radiating off of him. It was clear that he was not finished saying what he had to say._

_"To Hayato's!" He called back before slamming the door shut._

_But Tsuna was._

* * *

His chest stung with the reminder of where the porcelain had dug into his chest. Tears pricked at the corners of his eyes in the darkness of his holding-block. '_Oh Reborn… I'm so sorry… I wish that I could just take it all back… all of it…_' Tsuna looked up at the opening of the cell. "Please…" He whispered. "Tsukiyomi-sama, guide me through this… and lead me back to the place where I began." His caramel eyes glowed mysteriously under the moon's silvery rays.

What else was there to do? He was weaponless… they were still in his bag which he had no doubt that the woman left in that dark, dank alley-way. Shifting, Tsuna moved so that he could pull himself up—albeit stiffly since the one who had struck him ensured he wouldn't be moving properly for a week. He looked out the small cut-out of a window and sighed—they weren't in Namimori anymore.

His eyes caught the sign that said '_Shibuya City Hotel_' with a sigh. They covered a lot of ground in only a few hours... or maybe he was just that out of it. What would happen now? Would he be auctioned off to the highest bidder? Most likely… but who would be the sad fucker that bought him? They would undoubtedly—

His eyes widened in shock and fear before he shook his head, ridding the painful thoughts from his mind. He couldn't bear the thought of being raped—he hated the thought of it happening to someone else.

The van lurched to a stop and Tsuna let himself drop unceremoniously to the cold floor of the holding chamber. The opening lit up, temporarily blinding him because of the flickering neon. "Get up," The man ordered. "You're going in tonight's auction."

Tsuna waited until the man was close enough before he reached up and snapped his neck in one clean blow—the sickening crunch reverberating through the small area. "H-Hey! He just killed Daiki!" One of the men bellowed.

"You have the remote?" He heard one man ask.

"Right here," He recognized the voice to be Sarada—the woman that grabbed him. "He's got Dying Will Flames so don't touch his skin bare." Tsuna screamed out in pain when a jolt of electricity ran through his body. "And such a lovely voice too…" He heard through the agony. It felt like a thousand needles were piercing his skin all at once before being ripped out and jabbed in again. When the pain was finally over, Tsuna was left panting, exhausted from the pain. White spots danced in his vision and he had to force them away. When he did, he caught sight of a Taser in Sarada's hand.

"Drug him," He heard her say before he felt a pinch on his arm and all went black.

* * *

"Alright… for this part of the auction, we move on to the more… attractive… prizes." The auctioneer said, wagging his eyebrows provocatively. "For the first quarter, we have a half-Japanese, half-Italian male… he appears to be thirteen but don't be surprised if he's actually older. It's also worth to note his slender frame and feminine appearance."

The audience laughs but within the cage, the hardly-lucid teen sighs. Tsunayoshi really hated his life.

"He's also… a virgin for both front and back. You may confirm that once he has been put into your grasp. He has a few scars but that adds to his character. So…" Had Tsuna not been as weak as he was, he would have blushed. "We'll start the bidding at sixty million," The auctioneer continued.

"Seventy!" A woman shouted.

"Seventy-five!" A man with a grouchy voice.

"Ninety!" An okama—a cross-dresser.

"One hundred!" The man with the grouchy voice again.

"Oh?" The auctioneer called out in fake surprise. "Do I hear any more bids?" Silence. "No? Well then," He moved to ring the finalizing bell but a sharp, baritone voice that sent gasps through the crowd.

"One hundred and fifty million yen."

Tsuna closed his eyes from behind the blindfold. The voice was somewhat grouchy and raspy, like someone who had been through hell, but he couldn't be sure without seeing the man's eyes. Oh, how he wished he could but he was left blind, mute and weak by the damn drug and blindfolds but still one hundred percent lucid. Wanting nothing more than to just sleep, he let the darkness drag him under, unable to fight his captors because of the combined collar, drug and the fact that his legs were reduced to nothing but jelly.

And his captors didn't even bother to keep him awake.

* * *

"I don't know what languages he speaks." Tsuna heard a voice grouch in Russian—one of the languages he had picked up after four years of studying under Reborn's tutelage. "But he's on the first flight to Moscow where he'll be sold for twice the amount I paid, understand?"

"Yes, sir…" The lower voice said laced with an emotion Tsuna could identify as fear.

"Dunk him," The grouchy voice said and Tsuna felt himself being shoved under ice cold water. He was held there for a few moments before lifted back up and was left struggling for breath. "Do you have a name?" He asked in thickly accented Japanese. Tsuna's Will flared and he had to squash it quite violently to keep it from changing his eye color. "Again," He ordered and the people holding him dunked him under water again. He was held there until his head spun. White spots danced in his vision for a bit before he looked at his captor—the obvious leader.

Demetri Volkov—leader of the Volkov gang in Russia. They supplied drug dealers with various date-rape drugs. He had a scar running down his face from one of Bianchi's strikes. Tsuna raised his hands and gripped the wrist of the person who was holding his hair.

Without warning, he flared his flame and the man—he was sure of that now—let him go with a scream of pain. Tsuna dropped into the water tank and flared his flame to life again, heating his skin and causing the water to heat up as well until nothing but steam was left.

He slammed his shoulder against the tank causing the wood to shatter. His shoulder throbbed on the impact but he wasn't about to stick around and nurse the throbbing pain. He would have ran towards the door but the sharp sound of the safety of a gun clicking off and cocking followed by the sensation of the icy metal digging into the base of his skull stopped him.

"Now, now," The Demitri said in his accented Japanese. "That won't do… I spent an awful amount of money on you, you see… I'd hate to bruise my merchandise. I need you clean for your next owner. You see you'll be going to a friend of mine. His name is Zarkov Alfred."

Zarkov? Shit… he'd heard of them… they were the people Xanxus had gone MIA investigating. This was not good… if someone as lethal as Xanxus was missing by their hand; he wasn't going to last ten seconds. Trained as he may be, he lacked the experience and he knew experience had more power over strength alone.

"Good boy," Demitri taunted. "Now… where were we? Oh yes," His gun collided with the back of his head, sending white spots into his vision. He didn't give the Russian bastard the pleasure of hearing him cry out. "What is your name?" He asked again, aiming the gun at his head.

Name… name… he needed a name. "Tenma," Tsuna said evenly, letting his displeasure for the man show through.

"Last name, first name?" He pressed.

"I don't think I want you to know," Tsuna said levelly, his eyes betraying nothing but cold, icy calculation.

"Hm… Tenma means 'true sky', yes?" He asked, leering down at Tsuna as though he was a piece of meat.

Tsuna let a smirk—cold and cruel—flitter over his expression. "It also means 'demon' or 'evil spirit'."

"Hm, cheeky brat. How old are you?" No reply. "I abhor repeating myself." Demitri said with narrowed eyes. Still, no answer. His caramel eyes watched him with cold calculation and indifference. "What is your element?" He noticed the slight twitch under his left eye—a reaction. "Oh-hoh, that got a reaction did it? What is your _Famiglia_?" He asked, changing his question.

"Freelance," Tsuna said sharply. "I work alone." It was a lie but his steady breathing and level gaze told him otherwise. Demitri seemed to know he was lying though.

"It doesn't matter… you won't see the light of day again. Russia, Japan and Italy are crowded places after all. One missing person won't raise that much of a commotion."

'_If you only knew, you poor bastard. If you only knew…_' Tsuna thought, unable to hide his mirth at the thought. Vongola would wipe the floor with this bastard.

"Oh? A feisty one, eh? You know… there's a word in my line of work for your kind. They are called unbreakables. Unbendable wills. You can starve them, rape them, beat them, burn them, physically mutilate them but nothing will change who they are… until they are reunited with their loved ones." Tsuna had to squash the panic that almost flittered over his gaze.

Even he wasn't infallible.

"Their loved ones are the ones that do the most damage… and once the Zarkov are done with you, you'll be no good." Demitri continued. "Shame, too, because you're a cute little thing. You probably had a whole future ahead of you, Tenma-_chan_."

Tsuna felt something inside of him snap at the man's tone. He forced his bound arms over his head, his shoulders rolling painfully, until his hands were in front of him. He lunged forward and caught Demitri by the throat. A flash of fear flittered through his eyes but it was gone a millisecond later. All of the men aimed their guns at Tsuna and he was left glaring down at Demitri, straddling him with the chains connecting the manacles against the man's throat.

"Let me tell you a little story, Volkov Demitri," Tsuna said evenly. "There once was a barbaric king who ruled over all of his people with fear and intimidation. One day, he bought a slave that just refused to listen so he did everything in his power to break that slave. One day, when he was finished having his perverse fun with the slave, the positions were suddenly switched. It was no longer the slave's life that was in his hands. It was the king's life that was in the slave's hands. Ordering his fearing servants to shoot the slaves was pointless because he knew… that slave not only overpowered him but gained the fear and reluctant respect of his subjects as well. Do you know what happened to the king?"

"Oh, humor me," Demitri said dryly.

"This," Tsuna twisted the chain and snapped the man's neck fluidly, ignoring the churning in his gut. Tsuna flipped off of the man and closed his eyes for a second. More death. More blood on his hands.

Stop whining, he heard Reborn's voice snap in the back of his mind. You don't have time for this. Escape. Tsuna didn't wait for the fearing subordinates to snap back to reality. He was doing what he had to do to survive. If it had to be done, do it. Don't second thing it. That's what Reborn taught him.

But always remember the faces, the names, the expressions of those that were killed by your hand.

That was one of his biggest rules. Demitri had no family—only a cruel empire of fearful subordinates that were free and he was one of the people Tsuna had been planning on taking down anyways. This was only speeding up the process.

Tsuna stopped at the edge of what he could only assume was a dungeon to listen. He had to wait for a moment or two before he could hear anything but the sound of his own heartbeat and the blood pounding through his ears but when it cleared, he could hear the sound of wolves howling. It was night time if the packs were out hunting.

He could hear wind, trees, a river, the scrambling of a small animal or two. So they were in a separate place, not attached to any buildings. Good. He could use that.

Tsuna opened his eyes and looked in front of him, eyes narrow in concentration as he allowed his newest ability—synesthesia, as Reborn had called it—to activate. He could see flames—three red, two green, one yellow… now for the scenery… empty hallway, empty hallway… ah-hah! Stairs! That must be the exit… now to trace the path back to where he was…

When he returned to a conscious state of mind, Tsuna wasted no time in running the directions he had just calculated, stopping occasionally when he thought he heard shuffling. Getting to the basement door had been easy but he knew that there was no way of knowing where he was without finding a city of some sort.

He ran through the four languages he did know—Russian, English, Japanese and Italian. They were the ones most used in the business. If he was somewhere where those languages did not come into play, he was fucked to put it gently. Pushing the door open, Tsuna climbed onto the dirt before allowing his surroundings to sink in completely. Forest setting, very moist, dark and he heard a river nearby.

Tsuna had to breathe in a sigh of relief when he got to the river bank—the river was wide and deep. If he had to, he could swim. The current wasn't overpowering but it could potentially turn dangerous if he encountered a waterfall of any kind. The rocks in the center of the river were granite so the water was more than likely already filtered.

"He's escaped!"

"Check the river!"

Well, shit…

Tsuna let out a string of curses and ran to the side of the river, wading through the water. He almost lost his footing a few times but when the water got to his throat, he knew that he wouldn't be able to make it across without swimming and the chains on his wrists were weighing him down.

With only the light of the full moon to guide him, Tsuna uttered the words of encouragement he could think of. "Close your eyes… and jump." And that's what he did.

The water was dark. He could see the beams of flashlights behind him, looking over the water for any irregularities. If Volkov's men were still coming after him, that must mean that this Zarkov guy was more intimidating.

Well that shouldn't be surprising. His luck sucked and that was just one more thing on the list to prove it.

The water was hard to move in and his lungs were pleading for air but he had to fight. When he broke through the surface after the beams of light vanished, Tsuna swallowed a large gulp of air and crawled to the side.

Tsuna curled up into a ball, trying to conserve some of his body heat from the cold water. He couldn't help the lone thought that crossed his mind because he was honestly curious—and utterly terrified of how this situation would end.

How long would he be before someone could locate him?

_**Tsuzukeru.**_

* * *

Honest to God, I think my fingers are broken now... well... obviously not, considering I'm still typing but you know... semantics. I want to hear your opinion on this one. Action has never been my strong point so I apologize if it seems a bit rushed.

Also, let me explain the synesthesia bit. Combined with Tsuna's Vongola Intuition, he can use it to see Dying Will Flames and get a general grasp on their flame's wavelength. I'll go into more detail about that later on. Let's see how many people get the foreshadowing I've hinted around at.

Thanks for reading~!


	2. Chapter 2: New Pieces on the Board

**_Author's Note_**: Seriously guys? You have no idea how fucking much I love you right now. I was originally going to wait until tomorrow to post this but I'll give you this right now. Also, be sure to check out Chapter 1 again because I did go through and fix some of the things that were wrong.

I feel like I need to clarify this though. The whole love triangle thing... that will start to show through as the timeline (Hah, timeline? What timeline?! There is no timeline! The essence of time is null and fucking void in this story! *insane cackle*) progresses. And as per popular demand, I did add the Varia into the equation... I hope that it doesn't seem rushed. Please let me know if it does and I'll go back and redo it. Like I said before, this story isn't exactly planned out so I don't really know how it's going to turn out.

**_Summary_**: Time changes people and Sawada Tsunayoshi is no exception. Seventeen years of age, Tsuna goes out for a walk after a heated argument with Reborn... only he never reaches his destination. Bagged and gagged, Tsuna finds himself in enemy territory. Now he has to find his way back to Japan without letting his hunters knew that he's Vongola Decimo. Semi-AU.

_**Warning**_: There will be graphic depictions of violence, dark themes and yaoi later on.

_**Main Pairings**_:X27R/R27X [Destructive Love Triangle, hm?] and many others. Expect anything.

* * *

It had been publicized that the Varia's betrayal—both the Cradle and the Ring Conflicts—were staged. They both had been planned by Federico in order to make the new heir adapt. Xanxus, being the loyal dog he was, did as he was told and even accepted the consequences that came with it. He had protected his Guardians from the downfall of his actions and by doing so, proved that if it needed to be, he was more than capable of succeeding the mark of Vongola.

But he had no intentions of doing so. Sawada Tsunayoshi was more than capable enough if the reports Reborn sent in were anything to go by.

But that wasn't what had bothered him.

What had bothered him was that even though Federico's plan had gone through flawlessly, his brother was still dead. Sure, Enrico and Massimo had been his brothers too but he hadn't been as close with them as he had been with Federico.

So when those Russian sonuvabitches publicized that it was them who killed Federico, Xanxus of course leapt at the opportunity to get his revenge. Zarkov was relatively small—albeit well known for being a group of mercenaries that slaughtered mindlessly but he could take them.

Or so he thought.

Six days previously, he went to Zarkov's base with the Varia's top brass flanking him. The six of them went in… and only five left.

During the chaos, Xanxus had been separated from his brooding bunch of feral assassins. Squalo was the only one who noticed him cornering the leader on the balcony. The two fought and were evenly matched—Xanxus had been injured by a stray shot which limited his mobility and Alfred Zarkov wasn't known for having the highest stamina.

Just as Squalo was about to assist him in delivering the final blow, Xanxus and Zarkov had been pushed over the edge by one of Zarkov's own men—a betrayal at the worst of times. Squalo had killed him instantly but by the time he got to the edge, Alfred was crawling out of the river… and Xanxus was nowhere to be found.

When the Varia returned to the Vongola HQ with one short, the Ninth had looked like he just took a bullet to the gut—that flash of pain through his eyes, the knowledge that Xanxus might not be alive... Squalo knew defeat when he saw it.

Then came the bombshell. Alfred Zarkov was still alive and pumping his bullshit through the Mafia world—Xanxus had been defeated by his hand. The almighty Varia had fallen.

But it hadn't.

Maybe that's why Squalo found himself pacing outside of the Don's personal conference room. Maybe it was because he was hoping for some sort of sign—a sign that his Sky was still alive.

But when he opened the door, he got what he least expected.

Gokudera Hayato in all his glory was leaning against the desk with tense shoulders, narrowed aqua eyes and shadowed by a scowling Yamamoto Takeshi. Hibari Kyoya was leaning in the window and Sasagawa Ryohei was sitting with intertwined fingers and a concentrated frown on his face. Chrome was sitting next to him with flittering glances at Ken and Chikusa who stood behind her.

The room was tense and Squalo stepped in, immediately expecting someone to attack him. Bel, Lussuria, Mammon and Levi were also tense. "Reborn," Mammon said evenly. "I didn't expect to see you on Italian soil before the coronation."

Reborn's eyes flashed dangerously, the muscles in his neck taut. "Nor did I," He greeted though his voice was as sharp as steel and icy cold.

"What happened?" Squalo asked sharply, not willing to buckle under the weight of the tension in the room. "Have you got a location on Xanxus?"

"Potentially," The Ninth said slowly. "Alfred Zarkov has now been moved up to number one priority on the Vongola's list."

"The kid…" Squalo breathed. "He has Sawada?"

"To start from the beginning…" Hayato muttered under his breath. "Three days ago, Juudiame went out for a walk after a heated argument. I got a text message from him stating that he wasn't going to my apartment but if anyone asked, that's where he was. He was headed to Kokuyo where Chrome, Joshima and Kakimoto were staying. Early the next morning, I was taking the shortcut we usually take only to find that he never made it to Kokuyo. The assassin who found dead in the alley-way on the way to Kokuyo was named Demetrius Zarkov—Alfred Zarkov's younger brother. He was dead—three bullets to the diaphragm, the lung and the heart. The killing shot was the one to his heart but he was injured pre-mortem by something hot. It ran him through but wasn't a fatal shot. Incapacitating at best but not fatal. The triple shot is a signature by a woman named Sarada Mochizuki, a known trafficker and assassin in Japan… her quota for the end of this month was ten men and four women… she was lacking one man."

"We didn't get to interrogate her personally since she was AWOL when we got to her last known location." Hibari said levelly.

Without realizing it, Squalo tensed, eyes narrowing.

"We did manage to trace her sale to Demitri Volkov, however." Hibari continued, "He left on a flight from Shibuya to Baley where he would pick up a flight to Moscow… the only problem is that his flight left an hour ago… and he wasn't on it."

"What's Zarkov got to do with this?" Bel asked. '_Despite being the last place Xanxus-sama was seen alive..._' Not that he'd ever tell them that even though they more than likely assumed it since their leader wasn't in the office with them.

"Volkov was doing business with Zarkov," Hayato inserted, "The brunette he bought in Japan was being sold for double the amount in a set meeting place in Moscow. The time is set for Saturday afternoon in the penthouse at one of the most expensive hotels in Russia—The Royale Empire."

"Saturday is three days away…" Bel inclined his head. "But if Volkov doesn't reach his flight, Zarkov is going to think something is up."

"That's the problem… Volkov has been missing since his flight landed and no one has been able to locate him." Hayato said with narrowed eyes.

"Baley, right?" Bel asked. "Baley has a lot of forest ground, not to mention its set right on the Unda River." '_The same river that Xanxus was thrown into._' A small voice hissed but Belphegor continued without letting it hinder him. "Volkov is a small town gang known for dealings and prostitution. It wouldn't be surprising if he had holding quarters hidden in the forest. Sometime during the Cold War a whole bunch of them were dug out and forged for prisoners of war. Most of them have been filled but a few have been taken over by small time gangs for torture chambers or meth labs. I know that one is located near Baley and it's not flooded over this time of year."

"It's not a solid lead but it's firm enough to walk on. How many contacts are still willing to do business with you?" Hayato asked.

"I'm the prince! They'll be banished if they _don't_ do business with me." Bel snorted. "I have a few in places that haven't forgotten about my bloodline. You want discreet or knowing?"

"I _want_ Zarkov to feel the heat of going against the Vongola but discretion is key in this one." Hayato sneered. "If we spook him, he's bound to take everything he's got and head for the hills."

"And if Zarkov himself makes an appearance before then?" Bel asked.

"Do whatever you want to him but make sure he's still alive and isn't fucked up to the point where he can't give us the information we need." Hayato said evenly.

Time changes a person—that was a fact Squalo knew well but to see it first hand, just how mature these previously-brats were… it was nerve-wracking. Hayato was behaving more and more like a right hand was supposed to—cold, calculating and ruthless in the face of danger.

"Is there anything on Xanxus?" Squalo asked, unable to keep from pondering the question.

"He was last spotted around Baley Airport but both Volkov and Zarkov have strong roots there. Escape at this point is impossible for both of them." Takeshi cut in, knowing that Hayato wasn't about to say anything about the Varia's volatile leader as he was too focused on sending an IM to someone—most likely Bianchi.

"Have they met up?" Lussuria asked all business.

"No," Chrome was the one to answer. "Mukuro has been keeping mental tabs on Boss but can't get an exact location because he doesn't have the Vongola Rings on him."

"Bianchi stationed herself at the airport last night, keeping her eyes peeled for any sign of either of them but hasn't gotten anything yet." Hayato put in absently.

"I'll go make those arrangements then," Bel said. "I'll notify you when they've been put up." He added, excusing himself.

Hayato let out a breath through his nose. '_I know you're strong Juudiame... but I can't help but worry about you. Please, please, be alright... hold out for a little bit longer. Know that we are coming for you._' Hayato prayed silently, his fingers grazing over the Storm Ring with a sort of fondness.

Takeshi watched as his boyfriend of six months had a silent battle of emotions. His usual grin faltered and his eyes narrowed into cold, hard calculation. '_I hope you find something soon, Mukuro._' He thought, looking at Chrome from the corner of his eye. She tensed slightly before tilting her head to the side, a silent message being conveyed through that alone—still nothing.

And from the constant shifting between Ken and Chikusa, Takeshi knew that they were feeling the same sense of unease as well. Tsunayoshi accepted them when no one else did, after all, and that was something that they had wanted all along.

But now, the Guardians knew, came the hard part.

Now, they had to wait.

* * *

Tsuna wanted to curse the weather but at the same time, he was thanking it. The wet earth was leaving tracks but considering his location, they wouldn't be able to track him unless they had incredibly skilled hunters and simultaneously, dogs couldn't trace his scent. He wouldn't be stupid. He would just have to avoid low populated areas.

Tsuna had stuck close to the river, though, and he wasn't sure that this was a blessing or a curse because the tree coverage was beginning to die out. Scanning his surroundings, Tsuna's eyes stopped on a building—obviously abandoned—and he sighed in relief. He could use that as coverage.

But… Demitri's men could have set this trap up. They could be waiting for him. If not Demitri then Zarkov. Either way, if he was caught, he was fucked—most likely in the literal sense later on. If he wasn't as exhausted as he was, he would have laughed at his sense of humor—something he picked up from Reborn.

Reborn…

Tsuna moved to brush an irritating lock of hair out of his face and was reminded of the manacles still strapped around his wrists. He groaned aloud. He had almost forgotten about his restraints.

He'd have to chance it, he finally decided. The building was his objective.

He just hoped he made the right choice.

The trek was an exhausting one but well worth it in the end. It wasn't in its prime condition—the building was roofless and covered with rust, mold and dirt—but beggars couldn't be choosers. Russia was a moist country and most of the buildings that rusted were left abandoned. Tsunayoshi knew he was bound to come across some more later on but right now, all he wanted to do was sleep. He was exhausted and his body was almost at its limit.

And he would have gone through with that… if it weren't for the fact that he heard shallow breathing coming from one of the more shaded areas. Slinking carefully and soundlessly on the rusted floor, Tsuna attempted to look down at the shadowed area below him only to freeze in shock.

Because there, lying below him, was a familiar mess of black hair and scarred, tanned skin.

"Xanuxs," Tsuna breathed eyes wide and lips parted.

* * *

"What's bothering you, old friend?" Timoteo asked once the younger generation left and Reborn was left leaning on the table, an espresso in his hand and Leon on his fedora. "Do you blame yourself for Tsunayoshi's disappearance?" Normal people wouldn't have gotten to see the hitman in a vulnerable state but when one has seen a friend that's been around since the day he could remember, vulnerabilities were just a small leaf on a big tree. The slight twitch in his posture was enough to tell Timoteo that Reborn had just flinched and that he hit the nail on the head.

"We got into an argument before he left," Reborn said quietly. "It escalated… to the point that Tsuna left to stay at Hayato's for the night… I thought he was safe. I thought that he was…" Timoteo had seen many men break before but this was the first time since Reborn had been cursed that he had seen the hitman reach his limit. "He never made it to Hayato's… he headed straight for Kokuyo. I should have known… and yet… I didn't. Chikusa told me that Tsuna spent nights there on the weekends to make sure that Chrome was fairing alright after the surgery took place…"

"If you would have known, would you have stopped him?" Timoteo asked.

"Mukuro is dangerous," Reborn growled. "He refuses to accept that."

"Reborn, you are a leader as he is… but Tsunayoshi has yet to learn that submitting to someone takes as much strength as leading." Timoteo put a hand on the hitman's shoulder. "The difference between the two of you, however, is that Tsunayoshi is the Sky. You cannot choose who he claims as his elements… but you can become one of them."

Reborn shifted slightly.

"Reborn, do you love him?" Timoteo asked.

It may be outcast by the public but same-gender relationships were renowned in the underground. Age meant nothing because people with Dying Will Flames as their power source generally lived longer anyways. Even pedophilia was passed at as a normal thing.

However disturbing it may have been.

"I don't know… maybe." Reborn replied. "The last person I loved was Rena and she…" He trailed off.

Rena had been Reborn's first real lover since he got into the business. It had ended abruptly and painfully. After finding out about Reborn's involvement in her brother's death, she had ended her own life taking her unborn child with her. Reborn hadn't recovered from her death—and the knowledge that it had been _his_ child that she took with her. The dreams of the life that could have been still haunt him, even decades later.

"Are you afraid that Tsunayoshi will do the same?" Timoteo asked, accusing eyes set. Reborn's jaw jumped and once again, Timoteo knew he flinched.

"Words cut deep wounds," Reborn said softly. "Before he left, do you know what he said? He told me that he would never submit to a killer." Reborn was a killer, yes, but he didn't murder mindlessly. He was aware that he was taking someone away from their family, from their blood but this was the life he knew. He couldn't run away from it because there would be nowhere to go.

How could he tell Tsuna that?

* * *

Mistakes on the field were deadly, Tsuna recalled Reborn telling him at one point. Uttering the name of a sleeping assassin was his mistake. The feral assassin's hand shot towards Tsuna's neck, pulling him down and shoving him against the wall. Tsuna muffled his cry by biting his cheek.

Reborn's voice echoed sharply in his mind—"_Most assassins have something called Battle Instinct. Soldiers, assassins and even most Mafia Don could be completely dead to the world and they spring to life the moment they hear a stray sound. Depending on the assassin, certain things may happen. For some, if you utter their name, they'll pull the person down but won't kill them. That usually means they have a safe-switch._" Safe-switch… but what was Xanxus's? Tsuna steadied his breathing and made sure that the chains didn't make any noise, knowing that they could be mistaken for a weapon.

Tsuna steadied his breathing, allowing no fear to show through his posture and went limp in Xanxus's unconscious grip… that seemed to trigger a positive—in his view point at least—reaction since Xanxus's grip eased up a bit.

Not about to waist his chance on an opening, Tsuna wrapped his legs around the older assassin's waist and forced them both to the ground, knowing he either signed his death warrant or he woke the crimson-eyed assassin up.

He hoped it was the latter.

"Hold it," Tsuna said levelly, the chain to his manacles against Xanxus's throat.

Oh yeah, he definitely hoped it was the latter.

"…the fuck?" Xanxus breathed. His eyes were dazed and he shook his head to clear it. "S-Sawada?" He choked.

Tsuna let out a breath he didn't even realize he was holding and rolled off the taller assassin, hissing when his ribs stung, "Remind me never to go near the Varia estate when you're sleeping because that _hurt_." He grumbled.

Recovering from his rather rude awakening, Xanxus shook his head to clear it again before looking over the brunette sitting in front of him. "I figured you would have known better than to try and wake a sleeping assassin." Xanxus griped, sitting up and stretching his sore muscles. "More importantly… what… _the fuck_… are you doing _here_?"

"You know… assassins have such anticlimactic reactions…" Tsuna drawled sarcastically and Xanxus rolled his eyes. "Can't you see? I'm on vacation. I took a swim in the river and now I'm looking for a five-star hotel to check into. Got any recommendations?" Xanxus raised an eyebrow showing he was not amused at his sarcasm. "Fine, killjoy. I was headed towards Kokuyo after an argument with Reborn only to be gagged and bagged by Mochizuki Sarada. I think I was bought by Volkov Demitri who was selling me to Zarkov Al—something…"

"Alfred?" Xanxus offered.

"Yeah, that's it." Tsuna rolled his shoulders, attempting to break some of the kinks. "Meanwhile, I feel like shit. How are you?" Tsuna asked, grinning cheekily.

"That collar…" Xanxus muttered. "You can't summon your flame." It was a statement, not a question but Tsuna nodded anyways. "Well you're about useless."

"Don't be too sure about that, Xanxus. I killed Demitri and one of Mochizuki's men already while I was collared _and_ chained." Tsuna's eyes narrowed. "And while I'd love to stay and chat, I have other things to take care of, like getting these _motherfucking_ manacles off." Tsuna turned on the balls of his feet to leave the building before a hand on his shoulder stopped him.

"You don't seem like that sissy boy who shrieked at the sight of me before." Xanxus accused, catching Tsuna's elbow and guiding him to sit where the rain could not touch him. The darker Sky touched under his wrists and Tsuna raised them, allowing him better access.

"After the shit that's happened to be? I doubt it…" Tsuna snorted. "I've been kidnapped at least twice these past… what is it? Three years?" Xanxus worked as he spoke, listening intently despite being occupied with something else. Not much later, the metal clanged against the ground, bits of it crumbling away and Tsuna looked down at it with a loose expression before looking up at Xanxus who was extinguishing the hard flames and calling on the soft flames before he rubbed them against the welts on Tsuna's wrists causing the boy to clench his jaw at the sting that followed.

"What do you know about that collar?" Xanxus asked, jumping subjects.

"It has wiring that short-circuited when I went for a little swim," Tsuna answered absently as he rubbed his wrists to get feeling back and ignoring the abrupt change in subject. "There are two vials though and the needle is piercing through my carotid artery. I can't feel it but if anyone touches it, I'll rip their throats out." The threat was aimed at him, he knew but Xanxus didn't take it seriously.

Maybe he should have.

Xanxus reached for the collar and found himself with Tsuna standing behind him and his arms positioned to snap his neck. "Reflex," Tsuna supplied simply in advance to slowly let go of him and slid back into his spot in front of him. Xanxus's hand trailed to the back of his neck and he felt Tsuna tense at the touch. When Tsuna didn't move to attack him again, Xanxus let his other hand drift over the leather and feel the flow of it beneath him. Tsuna's hands were clenched—white knuckled—and Xanxus knew that Tsuna was having a hard time restraining himself from killing him. Igniting his flame, the smell of burning cow-hide filled the hair and the strap fell away.

Tsuna's muscles loosened a bit and his grip was no longer as tight but Xanxus still didn't move away. "Submitting to someone takes as much strength as leading," Xanxus said levelly. "That hitman taught you how to lead… but now you need to learn how to submit. Since we're going to be stuck together for a while, you're going to get a few lessons out of it."

"I don't submit," Tsuna repeated.

"Why?" Xanxus asked flatly.

"Because the last time I submitted to someone else, I almost lost everything I had." Tsuna replied, fighting back the stinging sensation that usually along tears from the painful memories that followed.

He refused to cry over it anymore—over _her_. It was in the past. It was over.

Xanxus seemed to know that Tsuna would say nothing more on the matter and sighed. "How much do you know?" Xanxus asked, changing subjects again. "About my mission, I mean."

"Not much," Tsuna admitted—they had a lot of ground to cover in such a small amount of estimated time. "I only got the call two days before I was grabbed and three after you were labeled MIA. I know that we're most likely in Russia… but I haven't the faintest idea where and I don't know how long I've been out of commission."

"Baley," Xanxus cut. "We're about an hour's hike away from Baley Airport but the place is crawling with Zarkov's men in hopes of catchin' me. As for how long… well… you're on your own with that one."

"Is it a civilian airport?" Tsuna asked. Xanxus raised an eyebrow before he nodded slowly. "This is where this whole sync thing comes in. Hayato knows I was headed to Kokuyo and makes it a habit to go there the morning after I tell him I'm going there… there's a shortcut I that cuts straight through the business district and directly into the more secluded part of where they're staying. My bag was left there and it has all of my weapons in it. I wasn't wearing my Ring. Muggers hide in that area and I learned the hard way that if you have any sort of expensive looking jewelry on, it'll attract attention so it was in my bag with my box-weapon and gloves. It was pretty late when I left and the alley-ways were empty. They don't usually start filling up until the late afternoon. I was attacked when I cut through that area by an assassin—an illusionist. He was killed shortly before I was knocked out. If Hayato took that root, he found my bag lying against the wall and the dead assassin. Assuming that Mochizuki Sarada is as meticulous as her reputation makes her out to be, she'll have records leading straight back to Volkov."

"Combining that with Bel's roots here, they'll locate us easily." Xanxus finished. "But there's also a matter of getting the fuck out of here before Zarkov finds us."

"Zarkov isn't my concern," Tsuna replied. "It's the hundreds of mercenaries he's got at his disposal."

"You're afraid of _that_?" Xanxus asked disbelievingly.

"No, not that alone, per say… just… Demitri said something about Moscow. I was only half-lucid when I heard it so I might be wrong but isn't Moscow the place where most dealings involving the Mafia go down?" Tsuna asked. Xanxus inclined his head in what Tsuna assumed was supposed to be a half-hearted nod. "Demitri was looking to trade me for twice the amount he spent on me."

"How much did he spend?" Xanxus asked. "Just curious, ya' know."

Tsuna smirked, somewhat smug, "One hundred and fifty million yen."

Xanxus whistled, "Steep price… double that and that would be three hundred mil' right off the top."

"Side-tracked…" Tsuna muttered under his breath, almost to himself. "Anyways… knowing Hayato, he'd have back-up located where he believed was my exact location."

"That's assuming he's even right." Xanxus cut. "Are you willing to put that much blind faith in your Guardians?" At Tsuna's deadpan stare, Xanxus sighed. "Alright, stupid question. Let me rephrase… what if he guessed wrong?"

"Hayato isn't the same; he's not the yapping Chihuahua he used to be." Tsuna smirked slightly at his joke. Takeshi had often compared Hayato to a dog but Tsuna compared him to a wolf, loyal and strong. "He's a full grown wolf now." Tsuna yawned slightly.

"When was the last time you've rested?" Xanxus sort-of-demanded/not-really-asked.

"I crossed the river the night before… so about two days ago." Tsuna replied. "And it was drug-induced." He added.

Xanxus made a sound that seemed like a cross between a sigh and a groan. "Your clothes are soaking wet and if you haven't noticed, it's cold. If you keep those on, you'll get sick. If you go a little ways over there, you'll be able to use the shadows to strip."

Tsuna couldn't help the blush that overcame his features and Xanxus smoldering eyes met his. Whatever comment Xanxus had been intending—snarky or otherwise—died on his lips the moment their eyes clashed.

There was a reason that assassins never let their eyes clash with anyone other than those of the lives they took. It was because they had an ability to read pages and pages worth just by looking into someone's eyes and of all people in the entire world, it was assassins that possessed the most telling of them all. Tsuna, however, had the eyes of someone who was forced to grow up way before his time—someone who had the weight of the world resting on his shoulders and had lived to tell the tale. Someone who would never forget the horrors he had been forced to witness. Tsuna's honest brown eyes had a tale to tell but no one had ever stopped to listen and the ones that did usually ended up being captivated by that aura of his.

Tsuna's breath caught in his throat as he took in the sight before him—Xanxus's whole life story exposed for his range of view. Xanxus had the eyes of someone who had faced death a million times but no longer cared about the threat it posed in his life. His eyes were sharp, always alert and filled with years of betrayal. The workings of a trained assassin lingered beneath his eyes and Tsuna found himself wondering what those smoldering garnet eyes would look like glazed with an emotion other than rage or calculation.

Xanxus and Tsuna stared at each other with equal calculation and curiosity, both seeing the same thing within the other's eyes.

The eyes of a leader—a predator.

It was unclear of who looked away first. They could have looked away at the same time but all they knew was that when the wind caused some of the loose pipes to smack against the metal walls, shattering the silence with an echoing bellow, both of them jumped.

Tsuna laughed softly at his own stupidity. "I won't tell anyone if you don't." Tsuna said, smiling limply in amusement. Even Xanxus seemed amused at how hair-triggered his own senses were.

"Deal." Xanxus agreed. "Meanwhile, you should probably get out of those wet clothes… and _get some sleep_." Xanxus shifted before turning around, undoing his own shirt. Xanxus turned away from Tsuna and settled down, tugging off his leather jeans as he did so. It took Tsuna a moment or two to realize what Xanxus was doing.

He was giving him privacy.

Blushing heavily, Tsuna tugged off his sweater and t-shirt in one go. Tsuna fiddled with his jeans before sliding them off and crawling over to where Xanxus was sitting and leaning against his back. Xanxus's spine straightened at the contact before relaxing slightly.

"H-How did y-you g-get that w-wound?" Tsuna asked through his shivering. Why did Russia have to be so cold? Why couldn't he have been dropped somewhere with a beach?

"Gunshot… it's almost healed. I've been healing it on and off when I'm not moving." Since Sky flames had the 'harmony' element, they could call forth the nature of all of the flames (i.e Storm's '_passion_'). His voice vibrated through Tsuna, startling him slightly.

So maybe he hadn't grown out of his healthy respect for the Varia assassin yet.

Even after twenty minutes had passed, Tsuna was still shivering but whether or not it was from the cold or how close he was to Xanxus, neither of them knew. Xanxus scowled slightly in thought before huffing and draping his uniform coat which was still dry and warm in the fur lining on the inside over Tsuna.

"Wh-What about you?" Tsuna asked, cursing his stutter. He thought he lost that a long time ago. Luckily though, he was still trembling from the cold a bit.

"Flames of Wrath, remember?" Xanxus said levelly and Tsuna felt the sensation that he was covering up the truth. Sighing, Tsuna decided to take action, deciding to squash the shrieking part of his mind. Xanxus didn't have a chance to react because Tsuna had moved faster than he had ever seen anyone move before. Tsuna's face was buried in his chest but he could see that his ears were tinged with red. The Varia coat was large enough to drape over both of them.

It was only a few moments later that Tsuna found himself drifting on a light plain between lucidness and consciousness. It was a very thin plain and easily shattered if that need be but it allowed him to rest.

* * *

"…ola…"

Tsuna frowned. What was that?

"…gola…"

It sounded almost like…

"Vongola…"

Mukuro! Tsuna spun around and collided with his Mist's chest.

"Tsunayoshi," Mukuro said, sounding almost relieved with amusement dancing around his voice as well.

"Mukuro!" Tsuna mouthed before his hand flew to his throat. No sound would leave his lips.

"You can't speak because you are not necessarily in a dreamlike state. My guess is that you're using that hypnotic state that Arcobaleno taught you… don't talk, just listen. Vongola is looking for you. They've narrowed the search to Russia but lack an exact location."

"I'm with Xanxus," Tsuna mouthed, hoping Mukuro could read lips.

Tsuna's luck checked out. He could and got the message as though it had been spoken out loud. "The Varia will be glad to hear that… are either of you injured?" Mukuro asked. Tsuna shook his head. Nothing that they needed to worry about. The gunshot wound Xanxus was a fading pink, looking like nothing more than raw surface tissue which would either callous of left alone or he would heal it one more time and it would fade. "Where are you?"

Tsuna paused. "Baley," He mouthed. "Hour's hike away from civilian airport."

Whatever Mukuro was going to say was interrupted when Tsuna's grip on that half-lucid-half-conscious state vanished, leaving him with the dark view of the inside of his eyelids and the heat of a fire burning behind him. He hadn't woken when Xanxus got up to start the fire… so then what woke him? The light flickering of Xanxus's Will made his spine snap straight. The leather jacket fell from him, scraping against his skin in a way that made him shudder.

So that's what woke him. Xanxus must have used his flame to light the fire.

"Mukuro has a location now," Tsuna said softly, not taking his eyes away from the fire to meet the crimson orbs watching his expression. He was afraid of what he'd see this time.

"How long have I been resting?" Because what he was doing could hardly be considered sleeping.

"A few hours," Xanxus replied. "I move by night."

Tsuna moved so that the jacket was hanging on his shoulders. "Are my clothes dry?"

"Close enough," The violent hitman replied. "You won't get sick with them. Where did you get those scratches?" Xanxus jerked his chin at Tsuna's chest.

"Porcelain shards on the kitchen floor," Tsuna replied, smiling sheepishly at the deadpan expression he got in reply. "I didn't trip… someone forced me down. I told you I got into an argument with Reborn, didn't I?"

"What did you _do_ to piss him off so much?" Xanxus asked, almost horrified at the idea of having the Sun Arcobaleno's wrath on his head.

"I told him where to shove his opinionated bullcrap about my Mist." Tsuna said, eyes flaring to life and practically glowing under the light of a full moon.

Silence fell upon them and Xanxus found himself thinking. Tsunayoshi wasn't the same wimpy little kid that he had fought during the Ring Conflicts. Tsuna had matured. His eyes held pain—tales of heartbreak and betrayal… but who would betray him? Even the Varia, violent as they may be about it, was loyal.

Xanxus knew that time changed people but he didn't think four years would have this much of an impact on him. His posture was relaxed but alert—not tense or coiled but he could tell that his senses were expanded if only a bit.

Tsuna tensed suddenly, head snapping up towards the window. "We have to go." Tsuna said sharply, so low that Xanxus had to strain his ears to listen. Tsuna lunged for his clothes and scrambled to get them on. Not wanting to second guess the one who had a near-omniscient ability that could reveal all and hide everything all at once, Xanxus extinguished the fire and pulled on his jacket.

Not even five minutes later, the two of them were headed for the river. As soon as they were a well pace away, Tsuna looked back at the building in time to see it be riddled with bullets. The sound of metal colliding with medal and the crack of gunfire combined creating a violent melody that set both Xanxus and Tsuna's minds on edge.

"How good is your air time?" Tsuna asked, not taking his eyes away from the flash of what could only be a pipe-bomb going off.

"That depends… what are you planning?" Xanxus asked, looking at Tsuna from the corner of his eye.

"Trees," Tsuna said simply, as though that would answer his question—and in a way it did—before his form blurred and he was crouching on a low limb, covered by the thick leaves. "They're bound to search the forest. That explosion wasn't hot enough to torch our bones so they should expect to find charred lumps of flesh riddled with bullets. They won't find anything so they'll draw the conclusion we headed towards the river. Just follow my lead from there," If he was going to say anything else, Xanxus knew it would have blown their cover.

It was hard to see even with the eyes of an assassin. He could see Tsuna's eerily glowing eyes but he couldn't make out any distinguishable features. Soon, Tsuna's presence and glowing eyes vanished as well—a cloak. Xanxus took that as his signal to mask his appearance as well.

There was rustling below that was too noisy to be the work of professionals. They must have been low-ranks. A flash of orange caught his attention and Xanxus looked up to see Tsuna motion for the leader, the order clear in his eyes—_keep the leader alive. He has information we need._

Xanxus knew to wait… he just hoped Tsuna did as well. In sync, they both dropped from their positions and grabbed the ones closest to them. The sickening crunch that followed was enough to tell Xanxus that the boy was trained in more than mathematical equations and martial arts.

He was trained to kill.

They both moved fluidly, lathering themselves in the feel of bloodlust. Tsuna completed his half and moved to help Xanxus with his but the sharp look he got told him all he needed to know—_I've got it. Get the leader_.

Tsuna altered his position slightly, leaning to the side to grab a hand-gun from one of the men, before he swept his foot out and aimed the barrel of the gun at the leader. "Blink. Twice for no, once for yes. Understand?" Since speaking with the toes of someone's show in your throat was impossible. Xanxus almost did a double take with almost fluent Russian rolled past the boy's lips. The man blinked, one hand moving in frantic motions while Tsuna stepped on the other one. "Zarkov sent you," Tsuna accused.

The man blinked once.

"You were sent to eliminate Volkov but he was dead once you got there." Another blink. Tsuna shifted a bit, still keeping his foot on the man's throat. "Now, I'm going to let you go and you're not going to run or I'll let my comrade here have his fun with you, understand?" The man blinked and Tsuna grinned a smile none-too-nice. "You know Xanxus of the Varia, yes?" The man's eyes widened and some garbled, fearful sounds fell out of his mouth. "Good, then I don't have to waste time introducing him." Tsuna sneered in disgust at the man before stepping away from him, not lowering his gun. "Alfred Zarkov bought something from Demitri Volkov, what was it?"

"A boy… h-he b-believed the boy to b-be _V-Vongola D-Decimo_." The man stuttered out through his fear. "W-We were s-sent to i-infiltrate the h-holding c-cell that he k-kept the boy in s-since Z-Zarkov c-couldn't wait until Saturday b-but when w-we got there D-Demitri was d-dead and th-the men spoke about a d-demon th-that eliminated o-over h-half of the troops."

"Where their bodies to match the tale?" Xanxus asked.

"Y-yes b-but th-the b-break was d-different—i-it was a custom snap, a s-singature… Zarkov kn-knew that they were lying so the place was completely incinerated a-as a result."

"The boy," Tsuna said suddenly. "Do you know what he looked like?"

"B-Brown hair and g-gold e-eyes… I don't know anything else. Don't kill me!" He pleaded but Tsuna ignored him.

"Alfred Zarkov," Tsuna said sharply. "Where is he? Don't lie to me…"

"H-he's on a p-private jet headed for Baley Airport just up the hill! I w-was supposed t-to b-bring th-the boy to the rendezvous point at the rock-face f-framing the river."

"What time was the scheduled meeting?" Xanxus asked. When the man refused to answer, Tsuna cocked the fun and his finger tightened on the trigger.

"Well?"

"A-At n-noon!" The man cried out.

Tsuna looked at Xanxus and the assassin nodded. "I have a message for Zarkov… tell him if he wants Vongola Decimo…" Tsuna leaned in until his breath ghosted over the man's ear. "He has to come and get me himself." Not giving the man a chance to process the information given to him, Tsuna lashed his foot out and slammed it against the man's chest, shoving him over the edge of the river bank and down into the icy water below. Tsuna watched as the man scrambled to the surface before swimming over to the edge and looking back at where he was. Tsuna wanted to cackle at the man's obvious fear when he realized Tsuna was still watching him.

"Why'd you let him go?" Tsuna turned back towards Xanxus with a raised eyebrow. "Not judgin'… just askin'."

"Zarkov bought me from Demitri because he knew I was Vongola Decimo. I gave Volkov a fake name and while he may have had his suspicions, he didn't know for certain." Tsuna explained as he went through the corpses' belongings as though he had done this several times before. Xanxus was surprised at the fluidity in his movements as he stripped them all of their ties, wallets, weapons and bullets.

It wasn't like they would be needing the belongings anymore and he would rather level the playing fields.

"What're the chances we'll encounter a car or two in Baley?" Tsuna asked, taking off the laptop bag that was on one of the corpses and shoving the things he took off of the men.

"Pretty high. I'll hotwire one when we get to the airport because you don't seem keen on the idea of scrapping our chance at escape. Ones parked there generally stick around for a while. What all did you grab?" Xanxus asked, inclining his head towards the satchel.

"I'll do a checklist later because we're bond to come across some other things that will help us along the way." Tsuna paused. "I have a feeling that the rendezvous at the river bank is a trap intended for me so I'll leave this one up to you. Bypass it and head for Krasnoyarsk or go for the trap and risk being caught?" Xanxus gave Tsuna a level glare that clearly asked 'do-you-honestly-think-I'm-that-stupid?' and Tsuna laughed. "Krasnoyarsk it is."

_**Tsuzukeru.**_

* * *

Whew. I have to admit, I am on a roll with this. I had this chapter done yesterday but I waited until today to go through it. Chapter three is also done but it needs some drastic editing and since I don't have a beta (and refuse to get one) I do it all myself.

Remember to tell me what you think! I want to know what you want to see in this story.

Thanks for reading~!

P.S. '_Tsuzukeru_' means _'to continue'_ or _'to be continued'_ with the way I'm using it for anyone who was wondering.


	3. Chapter 3: Just Heating Up

**_Author's Note_: **Questions will be answered down below so be sure to check that out, alright? And I honestly need to know... WHY ARE YOU GUYS BASHING ON REBORN?! LIKE SERIOUSLY! I feel bad now for making him the flustered one...

Should I put a basher's warning? Hm...

This chapter is dedicated to all of my awesome reviewers!

**Thank you, Anello di Tempesta, for pointing that out. It has been fixed!**

* * *

_**Question and Answer time!**_

**Q: **Are you Russian?

**A: **_No. I just chose Russia because of the vast amount of stray wilderness they have that's untouched by buildings and what-not. And I assure you, most of the stuff that's typed out on here is assumed... none of it is to be taken into account for realistic locations._

**Q: **Will there be 6918/6996 here?

**A: **_Yes, amongst others. Don't expect it all to be romantic shipping though. This is the Mafia and not all relationships are built on romance._

**Q: **Why haven't the characters shown any of their quirks yet (i.e Bel's 'Ushishishi' or Squalo's 'Voii')?

**A: **_Because they are serious. Seriousness means just that. Squalo doesn't seem like the type to shout VOII! when his boss is missing and while Bel can totally pull off the Cheshire cat's troublemaking personality, he also knows when to get serious. Lussuria is considerably less whiny too._

**Q**: Who is Rena?

**A**: _An OC that was super angst-worthy and plays a minor head-canon role before Reborn became an Arcobaleno. She was Reborn's third lover. But she's dead now. I have an entire headcanon that I use for Reborn since its never really exposed. Should I write it?_

**A very good point that _Metue _pointed out is that in some places, I am a bit unclear. The reason being is that I left a lot of it open for interpretation. Things like attire, scenery, appearances to the lesser characters and what not are left up to my readers to decide. That won't be permanent though so don't get used to it.**

And yes, _Metue_, I am going to keep this as a three-way relationship. It works for 182769 so why won't it work for this one? I'll go into the psychology about the whole thing when the bad blood has been cleared. Also, expect hints of some yuri and het in here too. This is the Mafia after all.

Now, on with the story!

* * *

"We've got a problem," Bel said, striding into the room with frantic grace. "Zarkov isn't in Moscow anymore. He's on a private jet headed towards Baley."

"Baley? Why would he be going back there? His mansion was burned to the ground." Squalo argued.

"He does run a few underground fighting rings around that area." Lussuria granted.

Hayato made a sound. "Mukuro got in contact with Tsuna. It was brief and he couldn't get any full messages through but he did give us a location. That combined with the message we indirectly got from one of Bianchi's contacts…" He trailed off.

"Message?" Levi grouched. "What message?"

"Volkov has been wiped out under Zarkov's orders but Demitri was dead before that. A couple of the guys that were guarding him said that the boy spoke Japanese and gave them a name—Tenma." Hayato paused, allowing them to process the information. "Tenma has a double meaning. It can mean 'true sky' or 'evil spirit' depending on spelling but it's also a message. I don't know how it got started but somehow, we ended up talking about various beings of the supernatural. Will o'wisps was one of the things that came up. Chrome said that more often than not, the ghostly lights were the headlights of a car reflecting on the fog."

"So? Where's the message?" Lussuria asked. "'Cause it just totally went over my head."

"You idiot," Bel griped. "'Car' is the message. But how did he know that he would run into Xanxus?"

"I don't think he did." Ryohei put in reluctantly. "But the good thing about Tsuna's plans is that they can easily be altered to fit more than one person and since Xanxus has experience under his belt, it adds to the odds putting it in Vongola's favor… to the extreme."

"They aren't stickin' around Baley, are they?" Squalo did something that was a cross-combination of a groan and a sigh. "Knowing that bastard, he's probably on his way to a bigger city. If you want to hide a tree, you hide if in a forest after all."

"Does Zarkov have any known bases in Baley?" Ryohei asked.

"Two underground fight rings but no permanent means to stay," Bel cut. "It wouldn't be so hard just to drop in on one of them, using them as the excuse for an early meeting. But there's something else," The fallen prince added. "Assuming that they believe that Sawada is hotwiring a car, driving from Baley to Mosco—"

"They aren't headed to Moscow." Hayato cut. "Juudiame knows that Zarkov would expect that because Moscow is neutral territory for most of the underground. He'll head to Krasnoyarsk and hang low there until we can throw him a lifeline."

"They have no money," Squalo countered. "Why the fuck would he head to the second biggest city in Siberia without any money?"

"Don't be too sure about that." Reborn cut, eyes scrolling over his phone. "One of my informants just emailed me. She sent an acquaintance to investigate the holding cell story as per my request and it checked out—the place has been vacated… but about three hours hike on the opposite side of the river about a dozen hired guns have been killed and stripped of their ammo, money and supplies. The cause of death for over half of them is a broken spinal cord at the base of their skull."

"Tsuna's signature," Hibari remarked.

"Not one for a messy death, is he?" Levi commented.

"He's finicky like that," Takeshi said lazily. "In a good way, of course."

"Alright," Squalo inserted, cutting off the small talk. "We'll do this your way… what're your orders?"

"For now? We'll wait." Hayato replied. "There's nothing else we can do."

* * *

Tsuna shifted against the leather seats. "Remind me again how you managed to score a _Corvette_ of all things in an airport parking lot." Tsuna teased.

"It was either this or the Audi." Xanxus replied, curving along the mountain road.

"Geh… too small for my liking." Tsuna stuck his tongue out. "Now let's see what this swanky bastard keeps in his glove compartment," Tsuna opened the glove box and his eyebrows shot up. "Well at least he came prepared," Tsuna shook the golden plastic package.

Xanxus barked with laughter, "Offering?" He teased.

"Mm, maybe if you were a bit less bloodthirsty," Tsuna smirked before going through it again. Tsuna looked back in the glove-compartment and frowned. "Is prostitution high here?"

"Yeah, why?" Xanxus asked.

"Because I think this was an escort's car…" Tsuna pulled waved the lubricant with distaste.

Xanxus couldn't quite keep from twitching at that. "I'd almost hate to see what we'd find in the trunk."

"Bondage anyone?" Tsuna teased before his eyes widened in horror. "Oh no, please… anything but the fuzzy hand-cuffs…" Tsuna started hitting his head against the dash-board. Xanxus wheezed with laughter. "Back to my hunting," Tsuna muttered, going back to digging through the glove-box in a much better mood then he had before. Xanxus seemed to have mellowed with age… or his hatred was a stage from the start.

No… maybe it wasn't a stage… maybe he still had it but kept it managed better.

"We'll check the trunk when we find a hotel for the night. How much money did you count?" Xanxus asked.

"In total? About eight hundred dollars in US currency from this alone," Tsuna put the stuff where he could easily get to it if he needed it. "Think its stripper money?"

"Give me the checklist of what we have to work with." Xanxus said in an unobtrusive way—he was simply curious. Tsuna couldn't help but notice he bypassed his follow-up question.

"Some of the stuff may seem completely pointless but I grabbed it anyways. Lighter, matches, nail-polish remover, hand sanitizer, baby powder, money, some first aid stuff, opium, I'm going to pretend that this is massage oil, a curling iron, a disposable camera with full film, thread, some type of wire, a couple of hunting knives and a sewing kit from here." Tsuna replied. "From those assassins I grabbed a few blank passports—obviously insurance—and fifteen hundred US dollars. They also had nine rounds of ammo for the Baby Eagle and seven for the Beretta 92. Oh, and the laptop."

"That should get us by for a few days. Grab the make-up bag too. You can use condoms to make explosives if you do it right." Xanxus smirked when Tsuna gaped at him, pink dusting over his cheeks. "If this really is an escort's car, I have a pretty good idea what's in the trunk already. I'll spare you from going through it though. Wouldn't want your virgin eyes to be scarred any more than you already have been."

"What's wrong with being a virgin?" Tsuna blurted before he could stop it. His hand smacked over his face with a resounding smack. Xanxus barked with laughter again and Tsuna's face burned.

"You're what? Sixteen?" Xanxus asked.

"Seventeen," He mumbled.

"Seventeen and you haven't had sex yet…" Xanxus smirked, "You have no idea what you're missing."

Tsuna glared at him, "This subject drops, now."

"Alright, alright. I'm not judgin'. I'm just sayin'. Sex is one of the pleasure's we're allowed in this life." Xanxus replied. "I'll have to show you what you're missing one of these days." Tsuna's eyes widened at the implications and before he could stop it, his mind spit images up of Xanxus being buried balls deep inside of him. He averted his eyes and decided to instead look at the passing rock face reflecting the glow of the moon, willing his body to cool off. It would do no good to get aroused right now. He'd have time for that later.

"So what happened with you?" Xanxus asked, startling Tsuna out of his silence.

"What do you mean?"

"You used to be so… tiny." Xanxus frowned. He had to know. This wasn't the same Sawada brat that he was before.

"Time changes people…" Tsuna replied vaguely. "I got a girlfriend, broke up with her, got kidnapped a couple of times, lifted the Arcobaleno curse and was working on arranging a meeting with Vendice to set my Mist free…" Tsuna looked thoughtful for a moment. "Oh and we've all claimed our first taste of blood."

"It doesn't seem like it bothers you that much… the bloodshed I mean." Xanxus remarked.

"I've acknowledged it as a part of this lifestyle… and if I want to protect my Family, I have to. My days of playing Don are over. If I'm going to purify the darkness that's corrupted the Mafia through the timeline, I've learned I have to stop hiding from it and jump straight in the middle of it all." Tsuna tilted his head and leaned into his palm, smirking coldly at Xanxus. "I've even made a list of the people I want to get rid of first."

"Volkov was on your list," Xanxus accused.

"Zarkov is as well, the fucking mongrel." Tsuna growled. Xanxus felt the darkening aura wrapping around Tsuna like a vice. "I'm finishing what Ottavo started and Nono screwed up." Xanxus was aware that Tsuna had the right to feel bitter towards his surrogate father but the blame wasn't his alone. "No, that's unfair… Nono didn't screw it up, his outside advisor did." Tsuna said, his voice morphing into something deceptively calm. His eyes glowed eerily in the darkness and Xanxus smirked to himself despite feeling the cruelty that this Mafia Don—because he certainly wasn't a child anymore—could potentially give.

The drive fell silent after that. Neither of them knew what to say and even if they did, it would have ruined the compatibility that overcame them. The low thrum of the engine was all there was between them. It passed quickly, though, and before either of them knew it, they were approaching a rather large overhang—Krasnoyarsk the sign read in Russian lettering.

"How good are your guardians at picking up changes in plans?" Xanxus asked, jerking Tsuna from his thoughts.

"Pretty good at it… why?"

"There are two major airports here and a railway junction. Zarkov has the airports under lock-down but the railway might let a few stowaways catch a ride. One of the junctions passes a train that heads directly to Berlin. We can use those passports there." Xanxus replied.

"Sounds like a plan… but first things first." Tsuna slumped back in his seat.

"Yeah, you're right. We should probab—" Whatever Xanxus was going to say was cut off when the sound of metal scraping against metal tore through the air like nails on a chalkboard. Xanxus's eyes blazed furiously as the six silver Mustangs began matching his speed. "Fuck." He grit out.

Tsuna's eyes widened in shock. "Think it's Zarkov's men?"

"Wouldn't surprise me." Xanxus said between clenched teeth. "Buckle up, brat, we're going to lose them." Xanxus said with a feral grin as he shifted gears before slamming down on the gas pedal. Tsuna felt his body slam backward against the leather seat and he tensed against it as his wide caramel eyes met a shotgun now aimed directly for him. "Get down!" Xanxus ordered and Tsuna undid his seatbelt and slid forward until he was slouching. A moment later, the windows on both sides of them shattered as a bullet flew into the car.

"Just what I fucking need." Xanxus griped, sharply turning the corner. Tsuna had to dig his fingers into the leather of the seat to keep from falling onto Xanxus's lap. Xanxus pulled out one of his X-guns and fired out Tsuna's window. Vaguely, the smell of smoke and the sound of crunching metal caught his attention before they faded into the background.

"Can you get to a road where there isn't as many turns?" He asked over the rolling gunfire that surrounded them from the remaining five cars.

"I can get somewhere with curves instead of sharp turns if that's what you mean." Xanxus replied, flicking his hand over the stick to change gears before breaking and turning sharply. Once again, he slammed on the breaks before flooring the gas pedal and sharply changing directions, bypassing the enemy.

"Close enough," Tsuna's fingers grazed the automatic switch for the windows, rolling down what was left so he wouldn't get cut when he slid out.

Tsuna undid his seat belt before maneuvering with cat-like grace so that he could slide out of the window. "Keep this metal death trap steady. I don't want to fall off."

"Then why the hell are you—" Whatever Xanxus had been saying was cut off when another round of gunfire reverberated almost painfully in their range of hearing. Tsuna gripped down on the roof of the car and slid out with cat-like accuracy before biting down on his dying will pills.

Normally, Xanxus would have been all for Tsuna putting himself in the line of fire because it meant that he had actually learned something but in this case, he was more irritated that the little shit was doing something that could get him killed.

Tsuna used his flames to keep from falling off—keeping them as a source of balance instead of materializing them directly as it would result in burns—as Xanxus did another sharp turn, knowing that if he kept it up for too long it would create damage to his hands—most likely in order to knock his scrawny ass off the top of the car for even attempting to do something like this—before he looked up, just in time to see an enemy land on the trunk of the car. "Not so fast…" Tsuna said in a level, low tone that was drowned out. His ignited hand resided on the metal top of the car as he stretched out his leg in a sweeping kick.

It collided with the guy's calf, the bone snapping with a sickening crunch, before he toppled off. Tsuna watched blankly as the guy collided with the car behind him which soon lost control before hitting a tree and exploding from a punctured gas tank, most likely, and taking one more with him. The agile brunette kicked off of the black Corvette and landed on a sleek Mustang that trailed on the side of them. He had landed on the hood and held his hands out in front of him, letting his flames ghost of over the shimmery metal before he jumped up, landing on the roof of the black Corvette that Xanxus was still driving.

His intuition flared in warning when a car pulled up beside them and he narrowly dodged a bullet aimed for his lung. Before he could react to it, though, the window on the driver's seat exploded into shards when a flickering bullet, laced with Sky flames, connected with the driver's head. The car spun out of control before ramming into the side of the cliff and bursting into flames, repeating what had happened to the other mustangs.

Tsuna surveyed his surroundings one last time before he carefully slid back into the car and clicked his seat belt back into place. Catching Xanxus's narrowed gaze, he shot a friendly smile at him. "Are you going to drive or what?"

"You and I are going to have words when we get to a hotel…" Xanxus snarled.

"If we aren't turned into Swiss cheese that is… look!" Tsuna motioned at the side-mirror where a helicopter was just coming into their range of sight. Tsuna grabbed his supply bag and tightened it around his shoulder.

"What are you planning now?" Xanxus asked, swerving to avoid a round of bullets aimed at the car.

"Focus on driving," Tsuna said evenly. "…and pray that there's soft coverage when we jump…" He finished under his breath. Grabbing one of the hunter's knives, he dug it into the metal and reached into the back of the car. Grabbing what felt like metal, he pulled it forward and emerged victorious—he had been expecting something else but a crowbar would do just fine. He reached back again—unsure why—but smirked when he felt a roll of duck-tape.

Maneuvering back into the front seat was easy but now, he knew, came the hard part. "What do you plan on using that shit for?" Xanxus asked, slamming on the breaks and twisting the steering wheel.

"Trust me," Was Tsuna's reply. Before he could elaborate, Tsuna used his small size to his advantage and leaned down, feeling for Xanxus's foot. "When I say, move your foot off of the gas," Tsuna commanded. Taking the strip of tape, he wrapped it around the bottom of the petal and put the curve of the crow-bar right beside Xanxus's foot. "Now!"

Not wanting to piss off his future boss when he was that close to his crotch, Xanxus obeyed and moved. Tsuna positioned the crow-bar between the now floored petal and steering wheel to keep it from moving. For extra measure, he wrapped a strip of tape around the metal and moved back. "Jump," Tsuna said, looking up at Xanxus.

"Have you lost your—" He was cut off by a round of gunfire that they were unable to dodge. The bullets lodged through the roof, almost tearing it away.

"You were saying?" Tsuna asked breathlessly.

The Xanxus opened his door and looked down at the passing scenery. "You're fucking insane, you know that?" Xanxus breathed. He kicked off of the side of the Corvette and launched over the guard. Tsuna followed his actions and they were both left airborne and flightless.

"Give me your hand!" Tsuna called out, reaching for Xanxus's outstretched hand. Calling on his flame once again, Tsuna let his Will flare, igniting around him and turning the two of them into nothingness before he materialized four feet above the forest floor. They landed with thuds and the sound of air leaving their lungs was what brought them back to reality.

In the distance, the sound of a car breaking through the guard-rail could be heard. They both shifted, looking at each other with shock before the sound of an explosion wracked through the forest. The click of the helicopter faded away after a bit and Tsuna let out a breath.

And then they both promptly burst out laughing.

"You fucking nut job," Xanxus said, shaking his head exasperated, a bloodthirsty smirk on his lips. "You are bat-shit insane… I think I'm starting to love this side of you, mini-boss. How did you come up with that? More over… how did you know we'd survive?"

"I didn't…" Tsuna admitted. "But I didn't have time to over-think it…" Tsuna added before his expression fell and he swayed a bit. "Nngh… remind me never to do that with two people again… owowowow."

"Come on, Sawada… we'd better get out of here before the authorities search the place for the missing survivors."

* * *

"Repeat everything you just said and ignore any interruptions," Hayato said sharply, holding down a button until Bianchi's voice rolled through the receiver.

"_About half an hour ago, a cherry red Corvette was reported missing. We all know how Tsuna has a nasty little need for speed. Twenty minutes ago, the same Corvette was run off of a cliff about a quarter of a kilometer away from Krasnoyarsk. No bodies were found but by the time the flames were extinguished, they were hot enough to have incinerated not only the metal but any bodies inside. They checked the surrounding area but found nothing—no tracks, no scents, nothing. They've registered potentially two people dead._"

"But you don't know for sure that it was Xanxus and Sawada," Squalo cut, eyes flashing dangerously.

"_No but my contact was keeping watch on the surveillance cameras at the airport and identified them from the recording. He covered their tracks for them so the local authorities don't catch on to them since I know just how harsh they can get and not trying to make anything of it but your boss is starting to gain an appearance to him._" Somehow, they knew that Bianchi wasn't talking about Xanxus.

"That doesn't necessarily mean that they are dead." Bel sniped.

"_No but Zarkov's men seem to believe that they are. It's up you to you, Hayato. Do you want me to stick around Baley? Because I will if you want me to._"

"I'm thinking, hold on," Hayato replied automatically. If he automatically assumed that both of them were dead and they were still alive, he'd be cutting their lifeline—however flimsy—but at the same time, if he kept resources available where they were visible, things would be twice as difficult. "Alright," Hayato said finally. "Fall back and await further orders but have your contacts keep their eyes peeled without notifying Zarkov about it and make sure to stick around the back-alleys. Bel, take three of your best from your section alone with you to Russia. You're on your own flight. It's too soon to cut the lifeline yet and I don't want to leave either of them hanging. It'll be difficult but you'll manage. You'll rendezvous with Bianchi at Yemelyanovo Airport and head underground and out of Zarkov's range."

"_What's that boss-radar telling you this time, Hayato?_" Bianchi asked.

"That…" Hayato paused before exhaling sharply. "That things are only just starting to get hot."

* * *

Xanxus should have predicted that this would happen. The kid wasn't looking really good from the start. Whether it was exhaustion from hunger—considering they didn't have time to stop and eat—or it was exhaustion from pulling off that teleportation ability with two people, Xanxus didn't know, but he should have known that Tsuna was pushing himself until his breaking point. The brunette was currently unconscious, sleeping in Xanxus's arms and seeming so fragile.

Maybe it was the way he all but folded up in Xanxus's hold. Maybe it was the way his cheeks were flushed with a fever that was pretty high. Either way, Xanxus knew that at this rate, the boy wasn't going to last.

Luckily they hadn't been all that far from the city. Xanxus checked into a hotel—and unfortunately, a love hotel—using a false name, paying for one night in the cheapest room they had—luckily it had two beds—and then promptly deposited the brunette on the bed beside the bathroom. "Stupid kid," Xanxus grumbled. Xanxus sighed. This wouldn't do any good. He could hotwire another car—that wasn't the problem. The problem was Tsuna currently had a fever—low grade—and he wasn't too sure about the cause of it.

He grabbed the bag and scrawled through the items, checking off mentally what he could use and couldn't, out of habit. He opened the first aid kit and scowled at the overwhelming scent of menthol that filled his nostrils when he held up a head compress. Pulling the plastic away, he brushed away Tsuna's bangs and pressed it to the boy's forehead and immediately the boy's expression lightened.

'_He's cute…_' Xanxus thought. Xanxus's fingers trailed from his bangs to the length of his hair… what was it with long hair? He had threatened to castrate Squalo when he was going to cut it because he liked seeing his Rain with long hair. Now, Tsuna had long hair that cut off at the curve of his spine… and he couldn't resist touching it. It was so soft. '_Tch. Stop thinking shitty thoughts like that…_' He lectured himself. '_Sawada is nothing more than a brat. Always has been and always will be… hm? His clothes are wet…_' Xanxus frowned. '_I need to get some clothes for the both of us… I saw a shopping outlet not too far from here. Should I…?_'

If he left him in his moist-with-sweat clothes, he'd get sick… well… sick_er_… but at the same time… Xanxus sighed. There was no happy medium, was there? Shrugging out of his Varia jacket and taking off his hair ornaments, he set them on the table and slid his Varia Ring off of his finger. His scars faded quite a bit and if he played things out right, he would be able to find a hoody.

Moving on the left side, Xanxus undid the buttons to the jacket Tsuna had stolen and shoved it off of his shoulders. Tsuna's skin glowed eerily and captivating in the dim lighting—milky and soft like a peach or silk… but it wasn't unmarred. He had scars littering his abdomen and subconsciously, Xanxus reached out with his hand to trace them, only to freeze when he realized what he was doing. Tsuna was too pure for seasoned hands like his—even with his scars.

Hah. _Seasoned_ was what one called it when they couldn't face the fact that they had taken so many lives that they were cursed to dream of the screams of the people whose lives they had taken. Xanxus had always felt at home with the darkness and slept peacefully in blankets of blood and no matter how predatory this boy was, Tsunayoshi was as pure as they came in this dark, dank world. Xanxus continued to undress the teenager—which wasn't overbearing task to do.

"Nngh… ah…" Tsuna stirred and Xanxus felt his eyes widen slightly in shock. He'd never heard the boy make _that_ sort of sound before.

It was arousing.

'_It's something in the air,_' Xanxus snarled in his mind. '_That's the only reason why I would be viewing my former enemy in such a light. Stop. Thinking. About. It._' Xanxus grabbed Tsuna's wrist and his eyes widened slightly at how delicate such powerful hands could feel.

Three days.

He had been in the boy's presence for three days and in that entire time, Tsuna had displayed only the ability to lead and to kill. How was it that a trained killer could be so fucking pure?

How was it that Xanxus was captivated so easily and so quickly?

'_This boy is going to drive me mad… I just know it._' Xanxus thought as he used the sheets to cover Tsuna's lower body. While he'd already seen the boy bare before, he knew that if he woke up while he was gone, it wouldn't do him well to be left nude as he was. '_I should leave a note…_' He thought.

Xanxus grabbed the notepad on the table and scribbled down a quick note in Japanese. [_Went to get some things, be back soon._] Short, sweet and to the point—just how Xanxus liked it.

* * *

Reborn rolled onto his side and threw a pillow over his face, wanting nothing more than to scream in frustration. Why had he said those things to Tsuna? They were harsh—especially to a boy who was forced to act against his nature. He knew that and hadn't stop hating himself for it. "You know, Viper told me it was bad but I didn't think it was this bad, kora." Colonnello remarked from the doorway.

"Go away. I don't want to talk to you." Reborn growled menacingly—at least it would have been if he were dressed in his usual attire but right now, he was in a simple t-shirt and sweats and his hair was tussled.

"Well too bad because I want to talk to you, kora. Lal is at a meeting and Iemitsu is being debriefed. I caught enough of it to connect the dots even though I was kicked out before things got real." Colonnello's eyes flashed, sharpening into slits. "It wasn't your fault, you know."

"You don't know the full story behind it." Reborn said, rolling over.

"Well then tell me, kora." He acted as if it was really such a simple concept… maybe it was. Maybe Reborn was just over-thinking things. Maybe…

Well what could it hurt? Colonnello was… an ally—a _trustworthy_ ally.

Against his better judgment, Reborn found himself talking to the blonde that he reluctantly acknowledged as his friend and comrade. "Tsuna and I got into an argument that escalated and quickly got out of hand. It went from being student and teacher to Don and Advisor to something cold and dark really fast. Some things were said... and he left."

"What all was said, kora?" Colonnello sat on the chair beside his bed, leaning into his palm. No judgment flickered in his eyes, only honest curiosity and Reborn was grateful for that.

Reborn flinched—something terribly out of character for him. It just added to how beat up about Tsuna's MIA status he was. "I told him the truth—if I found someone more suited for the position of Mist Guardian I could advise the Ninth to change them out. He said that I couldn't control who he chose as his elements and that if I did, I'd be the reason the Ninth would have to look for a new heir."

"And? How'd you reply?" Colonnello paused. "…kora." It seemed to be added as an afterthought and Reborn snorted at his partner-in-crime's antics.

"I told him that I've had curses spit at me from the people whose lives I took and that that hardly bothered me." Reborn admitted.

"That's it?" Colonnello asked, flabbergasted. "Reborn, you're fighting with him like an overdramatic teenager, kora. I know that the hormonal fluctuations are a bitch but you are in dire need of getting laid." Reborn looked away. "No way… that's it, isn't it? You want Tsuna. Does he know, kora?" Reborn gave him a blank expression. "Wow, kora. And I thought I was in denial. Why didn't you tell him?"

"I'm an assassin, in case you haven't forgotten." Reborn said sharply. "Tsuna openly said he wouldn't submit to a—" Reborn's mouth clamped shut a second later.

"A what?" Colonnello asked. "A killer?" When Reborn looked away, Colonnello smirked. "Change his mind then, kora."

"How, pray tell, would I do that?" Reborn asked, eyes glazing with a yellow hue for a moment.

"Simple… give into your desires. Have you even had sex since you had the curse lifted, kora? I mean seriously…."

"No, I haven't. I've been tutoring Tsuna, remember? I don't have time for that kind of thing." Reborn said lowly. "And if I do that, he'll shatter. You know just how dark my so called 'desires' can get."

"This isn't just a simple lust frenzy is it?" Colonnello asked. "He's tied you down completely and he doesn't even realize it." Reborn said nothing and the blonde breathed through his nose, the air leaving him with a hiss. "Have you accepted that you're in love with him, kora?"

"What?"

"Acceptance." Colonnello said levelly. "You've already gone through all of the other stages… it's time for you to follow through with the acceptance."

Acceptance…

'_If only it were that easy…_' Reborn thought bitterly. Because he knew it wasn't. It couldn't be.

Could it?

_**Tsuzukeru.**_

* * *

This chapter is short but every time I tried to extend it, I kept hitting a stump. I rewrote it like ten times before I was finally satisfied so I added Colonnello in there to make it better. I hope everything makes sense. And no, he won't play much of a role... he's only there for character development on Reborn's half.

Well? Tell me what you think~! Thanks for reading~!


	4. Chapter 4: Down the Information Line

**_Author's Note_: **I got some reviews that said Reborn is OOC. I don't think that is necessarily true. Contrary to what most believe, Reborn is still human regardless of his profession and cursed status. When he lashed out against Tsuna, that was his concern and jealousy combining. The fact that he hasn't had sex since he was released from the curse also adds to the tension that's been building up and because he bottles it up-unlike Xanxus who is more apparent and blunt about what he's feeling-which results in him lashing out or just shutting down. This can happen in one of two ways.

He can either lash out physically where he strikes the one he loves/is loyal to/wants to protect or just gives in to his darker desires (i.e: taking Tsuna whether the sex is consensual or not) or he can lash out verbally, targeting someone's most vulnerable insecurities (this is what Tsuna did when they were arguing by telling Reborn he would never submit to a killer) and slashing them down to size using words alone.

Colonnello- because of his status- acted as the 'calming' element and allowed him to vent his emotions, thus putting him in a vulnerable state. Now, this is where his role comes in, Colonnello and Reborn have a rivalry but insinuations state that they actually are closer than any of the other Arcobaleno. Whether or not this is because they have actual headcanon involvement prior to the Arcobaleno Curse, I don't know since it was never stated.

So there. I just wanted to clear things up. Reborn is not out of character... just vulnerable which I suppose can be considered out of character to some.

On with the story!

* * *

_"Why?! Why did you kill my husband?! Tell me why!"_

Tsuna's expression pinched, his teeth tightening and his breath coming out spontaneously, raggedly, as he twisted around.

_"I-I… I d-didn't h-have a choice."_

His entire body, along with the duvet, was soaked with sweat. His hair clung to his skin at the sheer amount of liquid that covered his body. He thrashed blindly on the bed, fingers clawing at the soft material covering him.

_"Monster! Give him back! I want him back, please…"_

Tsuna cried out, the whimper lengthening into a long moan. _"I'm sorry…" _The words fell from his lips, sharpening through the room almost like a phantom's echo.

_"Sorry isn't good enough! Sorry won't bring my husband back!"_

"No…" It came out as a plea, a moan of despair. The door knob jiggled and Xanxus strode in, frowning when he saw Tsuna's expression of discomfort and striding to the boy's bedside.

_"You're a monster! A murderer!"_

"_L-liar…_" Xanxus frowned—a night terror? Nightmares didn't usually display like this… unless… his crimson eyes widened slightly before his expression relaxed. Instead, he reached a hand out and smoothed away the damp hair. Tsuna's brow was wrinkled, marred and twisted with an expression that didn't suit the boy's face.

His hand finger traced over Tsuna's brow as if doing that would smooth the grimace away. Much to his surprise, Tsuna's expression did lighten before his eyes fluttered open. He blinked blearily before catching Xanxus's strangely reserved expression.

"Nightmare?" Xanxus asked, his hand falling to his side.

"Something like that…" Was Tsuna's replied.

Now that Tsuna was more aware of his environment, he was in an unfamiliar location with every nerve ending at a standstill. A million thoughts ran through his head all at once. He extended his senses as he scanned the area for any familiar flames. He sensed none. This place reeked of safe-house—without any personal touches or pictures. But it could also be a hotel with as small as it was. Tsuna caught sight of the bag lying limply on the couch across from the two beds. He looked down at the bed-cover…

Yep, only a hotel would have such tacky curtains for a bedspread.

Tsuna stepped out of the bed and walked into the bathroom to inspect his injuries since he was in a safer environment for the moment. He had various scrapes from his time in the forest and the place where the grimy stone wall had scraped against his palms were scabbed over. He looked up in the mirror and sighed at the feminine features that greeted him.

He had matured. His jaw was soft and his body lithe, flexible, firm but he had curves where it shouldn't be possible. His chest was flat and you couldn't see his ribs anymore—unlike how it had been at first when you could quite literally count the curved bones that were visible through his flesh.

Tsuna shook his head. This was no time for reminiscing. He had to focus. Tsuna walked back out and sighed as he pulled the jacket closer—it was better than being bare for view. Just as he walked out, he had been pelted by something. "The fuck?" He scowled, peeling away the bag.

"Clothes." Xanxus said simply as if it was the most obvious thing in the world, masking his smirk with indifference. "And other things you might find remotely useful."

"Jackass," Tsuna grouched.

"What was that, little Don?" Xanxus said in his take of a sing-song tone. Tsuna's eyes widened as he waited for something to fall on him or something of that sense. Xanxus barked with laughter at the skittish appearance of the younger Sky Guardian.

"Ugh!" Tsuna groaned, throwing his hands up and slamming the door shut. Xanxus watched as his jacket slumped against the still-untouched bed right next to the bathroom. He smirked slightly in amusement.

Tsuna was so fun to tease and he had a he had a feeling that wasn't going to change any time soon.

* * *

Tsuna flicked the tap on and stepped under the spray of water. Immediately the water was dyed with browns, pinks and grays. He scowled in disgust. That was what came for spending three days in the forest. Dried blood, dirt and grime practically coated his skin with like a film. Grabbing the average sized shampoo bottle from the bag where he had set it, Tsuna poured some in his hands.

After lathering himself, cleaning away the dried sweat, dirt and other unidentified substances, Tsuna deemed himself worthy for appearance. Wrapping all of his hair up in a towel, he stepped out of the shower and turned on the vent to rid the room of some of the steam.

Xanxus… of all of the people he could run into, Xanxus was at the top of the list of who he was avoiding for sake of his sanity. But he knew beggars couldn't be choosers. Tsuna stepped out of the bathroom and continued rubbing at his hair to get the access water away. "I was waiting until we were at a better angle to discuss the full story… and since this is as close to safe as we're going to get, it's time to talk." Xanxus said as he went through the bags of take-out he had brought back and set them into two piles. Tsuna assumed that one was his but didn't make a move to grab until Xanxus was done.

"Alright, shoot. You first." Tsuna said, waving the wooden knock-off chopsticks in his direction before biting into the noodles.

"Zarkov is responsible for Federico's death." Xanxus replied. "I took the mission with my top brass and went in to completely annihilate Zarkov and anyone associated him. I cornered him on the balcony but while we were caught in a grapple, one of his men turned on him last minute and pushed us both over the edge and straight into the Unda River below. As I was falling, I pushed the detonator switch and set the place ablaze. I've been working my way towards the airport when I was intercepted by some of the survivors. One of them was his mistress, a Calidori Felicia… she disappeared during the chaos."

"Doesn't sound Russian," Tsuna remarked.

"She's Russian and Japanese," Xanxus replied. "Green eyes, black hair… she's also known for having one of the most recognizable signatures—three shots to the diaphragm, the lung and the heart."

Tsuna's breath caught. "That's also Mochizuki Sarada's signature."

"One of her known aliases," Xanxus said.

"That's the kind of information that's supposed to be told to potential targets." Tsuna said in a deceptively calm tone. His eyes were glowing sunset showing that his flame was a microscopic step away from materializing. He inhaled shakily. "I need to get in contact with Hayato."

"Eat first," Xanxus said simply. He could understand his rage. "We'll contact them after we eat and have the ability to think straight." The level stare Tsuna got made his blood boil and he knew he was right. He inhaled again, sturdy this time, before releasing through his nose. "You have a little temper."

"Personality prevents me from lashing out," Tsuna replied airily.

"Is that why you are without your keeper?"

"Mm," Tsuna hummed, knowing Xanxus was trying to steer the conversation to how he ended up in the middle of Siberia-Russian wilderness. "I was in a good position to begin with and I waited until Reborn was in some sort of semblance of a good mood, buzzed with his favorite wine and the only two in the house, to drop the bomb on him and the inevitable argument that followed escalated too fast for me to control. When I finally snapped, I left because I knew fighting with him would leave my house in ruins since I'm not known for staying in one place when I fight."

Xanxus snorted. That was an understatement.

"I spend a lot of time switching between the apartment complex that Chrome and her charges are staying at and my everyday life." Tsuna's lips quirked downward. "I have a bargaining chip I came across on one of my trips over seas that I was going to use to get my Deceiver back."

"You believe in the whole two sides to the Mist?" Xanxus asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Yeah," Tsuna met his gaze evenly. "What about it?"

"Nothing… just didn't know that it was supposed to be that literal." Xanxus replied placating. "What's the bargaining chip?"

"Information," Tsuna replied. "I've spread it thinly over an information line that's loyal to me and the Alliance."

"Cavallone," Xanxus accused.

"Mm," Tsuna hummed in reply, a sound of acknowledgement and agreement. "And Verde…"

"Verde?" Xanxus's eyebrows disappeared behind his hairline. "He's allied with the Vongola now?"

"To me specifically, not just the Vongola." Tsuna replied. "He owes me a favor… or a hundred… for breaking the curse."

"Viper told me about it." Xanxus said, rage brimming in his eyes. Tsuna's eyes softened at the rage he knew wasn't directed towards him but at the curse. It was hard for a Sky to watch their deceiving Mist be trapped within their own body. He knew that Xanxus was also grateful to him for breaking the curse.

"Verde knows the information and has spread it through his own take of an information line. Byakuran knows as well." Tsuna shuddered at the mentioning of the white-haired marshmallow-lover. He was too overzealous for his own good. And his sadistic tendencies… Tsuna had to bite back a groan.

"And the trips over seas?" Xanxus inquired.

"I've been to France, Italy and Moscow twice. Every break I'm on a plane to somewhere new. Last vacation it was Florence." Tsuna allowed.

"Why didn't I hear about this?" Xanxus not-quite-asked/more-like-demanded.

"Because I asked that it be kept under wraps until I finish college since Reborn is adamant on me doing that much." Tsuna set the finished container of noodles aside and grabbed the fried rice. "I've made some allies along the way like Don Corleone."

"And suddenly, all those rumors make sense…" Xanxus mused. "You are a sneaky little bastard, you know that?"

"I've also been working on eliminating the people on my list." Tsuna added, sipping on the soda.

"Who has been eliminated so far?" Xanxus asked.

"The remaining branches of Estraneo, Serato, Momokyokai, Senbonkiri and the Kuragari." Tsuna tucked the now empty rice container away with the noodles and reached for what he assumed was orange chicken. "I was working on starting my arrangements on stamping my name all over Mochizuki's demise since she was working with a lot of my targets but now that I know that she's not actually Mochizuki Sarada, it ups the stakes a bit in our little game."

"You think that she was targeting you directly?" Xanxus asked.

"Most likely considering Calidori Felicia was one of the names that Reborn gave me to steer clear of until she confronts us."

"I'm ready to call them when you are."

"I have a secure line that I use for emergencies. It connects me directly to Verde, Shoichi, Spanner, Haru and Hayato. They all need to be read in."

"Irie Shoichi?"

"Yep."

* * *

Verde was known for being antisocial. The few times he did interact with someone, it was usually forced because of his status as an Arcobaleno but the little Vongola had managed to get him out of his hole. He had influenced him the way Luce had failed to.

What was it about him? Was it because of his charisma? Was it… his ability to draw people in?

Verde set his paper down. Why was he thinking about him when there was research to be done? The green haired scientist rubbed his chin absently and stood up. "Yield, Keiman. I am not going anywhere." Two years ago, those words would have been unneeded.

He was anxious—Verde knew the emotion well enough—but he couldn't identify why. He looked up into the mirror and sighed. Physically, he was in the body of a teenager—all of the Arcobaleno were. Colonnello, who was the oldest, looked like he was eighteen while Skull, who was the youngest, appeared to be fifteen or sixteen. Tsuna's flames were pure, strong, but the toxin he created wasn't dense enough to support the pure flames so the curse could only be lifted half way. They would age, yes, but they would retain their status as Arcobaleno.

Tsuna had seemed genuinely concerned where Reborn had dismissed him. "_I just don't want to see the Arcobaleno hurt._" Tsuna had told him, frowning all the while.

Verde had dismissed him at the time but after running into him one day when he was looking for some herbs that he required at the local spice shop in Venice, he knew the words to be the truest he'd heard in his line of work. It was strange because no one usually recognized him. Tsuna had offered him lunch and Verde—realizing how hungry he was—went with him. They hadn't talked much and even if they had, Verde wouldn't have known what to say. Tsuna had looked over him much like a scolding mother would and told him that he looked too pale and needed some more sun.

The next day, he found himself walking through Venice hoping to see Tsunayoshi again.

Was he that deprived of human interaction?

He had seen Tsuna again… but not in the way he was hoping. Tsuna was bleeding in an alley-way, shot by a sniper and his guard laying dead three feet away. Verde had taken him back to his lab and fixed up the wound but he had lost consciousness.

Viper and he had a past of not quite seeing eye to eye because of their… ahem… standing on the supernatural/scientific line but out of all of the Arcobaleno, she was the one Verde could get along with easiest. So he called her. When she arrived with Prince the Ripper and the Number One Hitman, Verde had to quite literally restrain them—but even his protective barriers weren't enough to protect him from the other Arcobaleno's wrath. Tsuna, however, was apparently conscious and protected him from the blows—at the price of tearing his stitches. Verde had stopped the bleeding and redid the stitching but told him that if Reborn wanted to kill him to wait until the little Vongola was back to the main base.

Tsunayoshi hadn't allowed it. Subconsciously he had created a barrier around both him and Verde. Reborn drew the conclusion that Tsunayoshi had sensed the threat and fought while in a sleep-like state. He didn't even wake up when he was being stitched.

Needless to say, he had stayed until he woke up the next day. Reborn was angry but the reaction was a defense mechanism against any enemies. When Tsunayoshi woke up and faced Reborn's wrath the next day, he was so confused. Verde calmly explained to him that he had reacted against an attack aimed at him—despite being shocked over the happenings himself—and tore his stitches. Reborn, quite harshly, told him that now he was awake and it was time to go.

Not wanting to anger the hitman, Tsuna complied and walked with him… only to sneak out the next day and intentionally walked to Verde's lab. Verde wondered if the boy had a death wish.

Their meetings continued after that and Verde found himself changing in small ways that were unnoticeable to most but blaringly obvious to him. He had noticed that he started going out more, eating properly and getting more sunlight. He even found himself clean shaving and getting contacts for the days that he spent more time outside than in his lab.

That was when he met the endearing pair of engineers, Irie Shoichi and Spanner. They were a little wet behind the ears but with a little bit of coaching, they caught the grip behind his personal style.

And then he found out about Tsuna's pulling of strings.

Tsuna had made it so that Irie Shoichi and Spanner would run into him in the plaza on one of his days out. The following evening, Tsuna had proposed an offer—the creating and perfection of Box Weapons. The difference on this time around? Verde's partners wouldn't be participating. They would be killed because of their standing with the remainder of the Estraneo. Verde agreed after finding out that knowledge.

Mad scientist or not, even he had standards. Human experimentation was amongst the top of what he did _not_ do.

"Verde-san," Shoichi beamed, "I wasn't sure if you were working."

"I was just taking a break," Verde replied as he stepped into the kitchen and scrawled through his fridge for something edible. The intelligent Arcobaleno tensed slightly out of habit when Shoichi wandered a little too close than what he thought was necessary but relaxed after a moment. "Another rough night?" He asked intending to tease but if came out monotonously.

Shoichi caught the drift though if his bright flare in his cheeks was anything to go by. "_You know, molesting taken teenage boys is a felon in most states?_"

"Bite me," Verde deadpanned.

"_Just sayin'…_" Tsuna said bemused if his expression on the computer across from the kitchen was anything to go by. "_Is Haru there?_"

"She picked up a job in Hong Kong." Spanner said deadpanning.

"_Brief her as soon as you can then. Connect the chat to Hayato but use his emergency line._"

"Vongola…" Verde said warily. "Where are you?" This explained that anxiousness… sort of… not really.

"_Russia…_"

But that did.

"On it," Shoichi said, slipping passed Verde and to the computer. His fingers tapped against the keyboard.

"_You have ten seconds before I hang up._" Hayato's impatient voice said lowly.

"_I certainly hope that's not directed at me…_"

"_J-Juudiame…_"

* * *

Hayato couldn't believe it. His boss… he shook his head. This was no time to get sentimental. "I'm putting you on speaker."

"_—nd here I was hoping for a more climatic greeting. Sigh, not fair…_"

"Drama queen," Chrome remarked. "Boss… it's good to hear from you. Are you on a secure line?"

"_As secure as they get, my dear Protector. Before we get on to the verbal reunion, I want to know who all is in the room._"

"The Ninth, Reborn, and your Guardians," Ken grouched. "Hurry up and come home, Vongola. Being with Kaki-pii makes my skin itch, byon."

"_Are you sure that's because you haven't taken a shower in over a month?_"

"Oi!"

"_I hate to break up this loving reunion but why did you call us?_" Verde's annoyed voice echoed through the receiver.

"_Call the Varia and then we'll talk. I have some news regarding their lost Sky._"

"So then Xanxus is there with you?" Timoteo asked, his eyes hopeful but his voice portraying nothing.

"_Unless I'm a ghost,_" Xanxus replied dryly. "_And you, mini-boss, are going to have a nice long chat about **regulations** when we get back to HQ._"

"Save your breath," Reborn piqued. "He doesn't listen. He's as stuck in his ways as Federico was."

"_Hypocrites!_" Tsuna squeaked. "_Especially you, Reborn, you damn sadist!_"

There was a knock at the door and Timoteo let out a sharp 'come in' through the door. "Those preparations aren't finished yet," Bel said somewhat irritably.

"_Your prince is a grouch when you interrupt his beauty sleep._"

"_Only to some. The last time he tried that, I saw to it that he was punished properly._"

Tsuna and Xanxus smirked at one another when the chaos finally died down. "Hayato, debrief me of the situation." Tsuna ordered, not wanting to steer too far away from their original topic at hand.

"_Bianchi is on her way to Krasnoyarsk and Bel will rendezvous with her at the airport. Zarkov's men think you are dead since we aren't the only ones who had eyes at the airport. Don't worry about that though, Bianchi's contact covered your tracks for you so the authorities didn't catch on._"

"Amateurs at best," Tsuna said absently. "They weren't recording if they didn't see us jump. Alright, keep going through with that. Verde, sorry for forgetting about you but I need to know what kind of toxins this sadistic bastard works with."

"_Yes well… that's not as easy as it sounds, Vongola._" Verde didn't sound the least bit offended that he had been forgotten about. "_Zarkov isn't as tech-savvy as this era allows us to be._"

"Then have Haru do it when she gets back from her job… or better yet, have her bypass the plane back to wherever you are hiding at this time and have her take one of the trains to Russia and attempt to make contact with us without drawing a lot of attention." Tsuna said evenly. "He also uses laptops with Linux on them."

"_God!_" That was Shoichi. "_He couldn't use Mac OSX or Windows?_"

"Sarada Mochizuki is an alias. She's been known to use it quite a bit. Her real name is Felicia Calidori—a Russian mistress. Her lover is Alfred Zarkov." Tsuna continued, ignoring Shoichi's complaining.

"_Why would she kill her lover's younger brother then?_" Hayato asked. "_The assassin that was found dead in the alley-way we take as a shortcut to Kokuyo was named Demetrius Zarkov—Alfred Zarkov's younger brother._"

"Blood ties mean nothing to these fools," Tsuna said levelly. "But that confirms one thing—Zarkov knows that I'm Vongola Decimo and planned this out as a strike against me. Hibari, tap into some of your resources for this one. I want you to investigate more into Felicia Calidori and all of her aliases. Put a tag out to all of our allies."

"_You'll owe me one for this, Tsunayoshi._"

"_Not to interrupt the little pow-wow we're having but certain things are bound to go wrong._" Squalo grouched.

"Don't jinx it before it happens, sharky," Tsuna said in a sing-song tone. "And don't over think it. If you do, you'll take a predictable route and that is not a safe option to do right now."

"_Your Guardians knew where you would be._" Squalo countered.

"You really want to argue with someone who has the potential to strip you of your rank?" Tsuna asked. "I don't care if Xanxus is standing right next to me or not. _Don't_ think that I won't pull rank over your head because I will. You can be my enemy in this or my ally; the choice is yours."

* * *

Squalo's eyes widened slightly as those words fell from the receiver. His cheeks burned with humiliation but he refused to follow a brat half his age. "_Shark,_" Xanxus's voice rolled through the receiver. "_No… this is for all of you, not just the shitty shark. If you don't follow orders when they are given, you'll answer to me. If that pyromaniac gives you an order, you follow it, understand?_"

"Yes, boss," Levi, Lussuria, Bel and Viper chorused. Squalo scowled.

"Fine."

"_Good._"

"_Hayato, if Squalo offers you advice, take it into consideration. Mistakes are fatal on this playing field since we're the ones in enemy territory and not the other way around. If you think you have to cut the lifeline, do it even if it means leaving me in the middle of the danger zone, understand?_"

"Yes, Juudiame," Hayato replied sophisticatedly.

"_Now, let's try this again… Squalo, collaborate with Hayato as I will be with Xanxus but don't let doubts drag your planning down. Gamble with our lives as you would your own but keep the bluffs to the minimum._" Tsuna trailed off and they were left in silence for a few moments before Xanxus spoke up.

"_Since you're in the heart of Zarkov's territory, are you going to use it to gather information?_" Verde asked.

* * *

Tsuna frowned slightly. "He's expecting us to do that if we're still alive."

"All the more reason to do it if we're going to have back-up." Xanxus replied.

"What happened to your other plan?" Tsuna asked.

"Zarkov runs a number of underground clubs in this area. This city is the third largest city in Siberia. If we can blend, we can appear like any other freelance on the fritz looking for someone to help them make a name for themselves." Xanxus tilted his head a bit. "Not that I need the help."

"Hm… what would you do as a freelance, Verde?"

"_I'd get the hell out of there while I still could but that might be my survival instincts talking._" Verde replied as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. "_I'm not as daring as you like to think, Vongola._"

"Reborn?"

"_As much as I loathe agreeing with that buffoon, even I don't like these odds._" Reborn replied.

"Alright… we'll stay put." Tsuna said finally.

"_How can we contact you?_" Spanner asked.

"You can't," Xanxus replied.

"We'll talk later, alright?" Tsuna asked and without waiting for a reply, Tsuna closed the chat and sighed.

Waiting was such a pain.

"We're not staying put, are we?" Xanxus deadpanned.

"Nope~!" Tsuna beamed innocently.

"I knew it."

* * *

"—_you in on the situation at hand._" Hayato finished in explanation.

"Hm. I do hope that you are reunited with your Sky soon." Verde said simply. "Keep me posted." He closed the chat.

"Vongola in Russia… that's cause for worry." Spanner said around his lollipop. '_I only hope he makes it out of this one alright._'

_**Tsuzukeru.**_

* * *

Writer's block was a pain in my fracking arse this time man... so I started off with Tsuna's first kill. I feel bad because he wasn't emotionally-or mentally-prepared for the burden, the nightmares, the _blood_ that he had shed... that is Tsuna's reminder. It solidified his ties to his Guardians-and this is also why Hibari calls him by his _name _instead of omnivore or herbivore. It's because in the state he is in now, Hibari not only fears him but respects him as well. This will go into deeper detail later on.

I apologize for the obvious filler and slow update but this was necessary to space it out. Next chapter things will start to heat up again.

Thanks for reading~!


	5. Chapter 5: First

**_Author's Note_: **I cannot believe how much feedback I am getting on this story. Just for that, I got this chapter out as fast as possible... erm... there be _graphic content_ in this chapter.

**_Thanks, Metue, for pointing that out. I fixed it._**

* * *

Hayato scowled with exasperation. "You know he's not going to stay put, right?" Hayato looked at Reborn.

"Stupid brat," Reborn growled. "He needs a good hiding."

"Shishishi~! The Vongola King likes the taste of adrenalin." Bel mused. "That's not bound to change any time soon. I'd better go speed up those arrangements or we're going to run a little late in ringing them in." Hayato nodded in dismissal.

"Well… shit…" Hayato cursed. "I'm at a stand-still and I hate waiting."

"Sometimes it's the only thing we can do." Timoteo said smiling sadly.

* * *

"Good news," Tsuna said as Xanxus walked out of the bathroom. "Zarkov is having an underground gathering tomorrow night at one of his warehouses called Club Centre. The only problem is that this place has flame resistant drugs."

"You know the rules of the underground, don't you?" Xanxus asked.

"I got the riot act from Takeshi's father already." Tsuna scowled at the memory. Reborn hadn't been in a position to tell him anything because of the curse and Tsuyoshi had drawn the short stick. Tsuna and Takeshi had a joint lecture on the importance of using protection when you have sex with someone of the opposite gender. Xanxus seemed to be remembering his own lecture and coughed into his hand to jerk their attention back to the subject at hand.

It had only been an hour and a half since they talked with their Guardians and now that they were properly stuffed and clothed in decent looking clothing but now, they knew they had to get some party-clothes. "Are there any good shops here?"

"Plenty. We need more cash though so I'll head to the back-alleys first."

"Aren't you going to rest first?" Tsuna raised a slender brow in curiosity.

"I already did." At Tsuna's disbelieving stare, Xanxus smirked a bit. "My body's built differently than yours."

"Well duh," Tsuna muttered. "You have ten years of experience over my head. What am I supposed to do to pass the time, though?"

"Sleep?"

"Not tired."

"Hm, good point… I guess I'll just have to take you with me." Xanxus shrugged. He reached for the bag and handed him one of the switch-blades. "There are a whole bunch of thugs in the back-alleys but you can get hundreds of dollars just my sitting there."

"Aren't the back-alleys also like… grope-ass central?" Tsuna asked amused.

"That's why you're staying next to me." Xanxus said levelly. "I'd rather not have you crying out rape when someone attempts to cop a feel."

"Seriously? You're forgetting who my Guardians are… Mukuro likes to grope me spontaneously grope me. Takeshi pulls me onto his lap when there aren't all that many seats and Hayato likes to hug me spontaneously." Tsuna had a fond expression. "Oh and then there's Bel who does all of the above and more."

"My Bel?"

"Mm." Tsuna gave him a cryptic little smile before sauntering past him in an action that reminded him quite a bit of the Stormy Prince.

In reality, the two of them were close—friends even. Bel had been the one Reborn called on to teach Tsuna the ropes at the underground, the more risqué parts that is. For the duration of one month shortly before he started traveling for his vacations, Bel had taught him the ways of seduction and how it worked for underground parties. He taught him which drugs could be mixed to make a cocktail of pain killer and which ones could be mixed to give someone a painless death. Tsuna had so many chemical compounds in his mind by the end of their vacation that he felt like his mind was about to explode. But his lessons hadn't stopped there. They had gone on to actually go to a party. Tsuna had lathered himself in both genders—the flashing lights, the bass, the energy… all of it. It made him giddy just thinking about it.

Tsuna felt his lips quirk into a wider smirk and then a grin as he picked at his hair with the comb. "I have to cut it soon," Tsuna mused aloud, changing the subject. "How long will we be sticking around the back-alleys?"

"Only for a couple of hours." Xanxus replied, standing up and motioning for him to follow.

A couple of hours in the back-alleys? They should pass quickly.

* * *

'_Pass quickly? My ass…_' Tsuna thought as Xanxus haggled with one of the street-side gamblers. They had been here for six hours and the sun was starting to set. He sighed, "How boring," He mumbled under his breath. They had made over eighteen hundred US dollars. That would last them two weeks if they did things right but Tsuna got the distinct impression that Xanxus was trying to get a bit more than just money this time around and was proven right when the elderly appearing man handed him a package.

Tsuna felt something prickle at the back of his mind and he stepped to the side, looking behind him just as a plank of wood came down where he was. "Tch, the little one has good instincts." The grouch said with annoyance. He was average looking, dirty blonde hair, blue eyes and a toned body but the tattoo on his neck—a Famiglia logo of some sort—showed that he was Mafia affiliated. Xanxus was still haggling and Tsuna sighed. He hadn't even noticed—or he was intentionally ignoring him.

"I don't want any trouble," Tsuna said softly, ducking his head in a submissive way but never baring his throat for their range of sight. '_I'll never submit again._' He thought angrily. '_Never… again…_' He kept the anger from brimming in his eyes but couldn't help the shiver that rolled through him when the older assailiant touched his waist.

"Hey, you're pretty cute." He said, grinning lecherously.

'_Alright, second glance? He might be able to help us after all…_' Tsuna thought, shifting a bit as if the gaze was making him uncomfortable. "P-Please… I have to…" He looked back nervously as if someone was watching him. The man leaned down as if to inhale his scent but Tsuna got a different impression.

"I know you're lookin' for information on Zarkov." He murmured in his ear. Tsuna's eyes widened slightly before he masked it. Tsuna, appearing hesitant, put his hand around the blonde's waist. Guiding him, they retreated into the shadows and Tsuna got a better look at the older man. He had a flame—his skin was flawless and his looks could be altered a bit to appear exotic if needed, both key signs of having a Dying Will Flame.

"What do you know about Zarkov?" Tsuna asked warily, eyes guarded.

"His brother was chaining information about his company."

"Company? Is that what they're calling human trafficking these days?" Tsuna asked, unable to keep his disgust under wraps.

"Hm, you're a real soft touch." He smiled cheekily but it didn't reach his eyes. "Zarkov met with his right hand the day before last and sent him to investigate the Corvette accident about a half a kilometer away on the cliffs."

So his little display made Zarkov nervous. Good.

"What else do you need?" Tsuna asked.

"From the beginning… Zarkov was tapping into all of the wrong places—like, looking for ways to kill off the heirs shortly after Massimo's demise. Federico moved first but Zarkov created a toxin that eats away at the target's lungs. He was already poisoned when he returned. I don't know much else but I know that he was reduced to bone the following months. After that, Zarkov quieted down quite a bit. It was only recently that he started getting diarrhea of the mouth and spewing out all sorts of shit regarding his involvement in Federico's death."

"Why would he start talking now?" Tsuna asked with a frown. "It's been what? Almost six years since Vongola's near downfall?"

"Maybe because this new heir is making him nervous with his orders and what not… Felicia especially considering she's made most of her money in the illegal trades."

"Felicia is his mistress, isn't she?"

"Yeah. That woman is a demon and a half." The blonde sighed and looked down at his watch. "Hm, I have a meeting with someone in about thirty minutes. If you want more information ask for Raynoldo at Club Centre. You can do that indirectly by hinting at a group sex-session to the bartender. He can offer you more information than what I did and it's trustworthy."

"I can assume you won't say anything to Zarkov." Tsuna replied warily.

"Pfft. I think the world's better off without him. Tell you what, your payment for the information will be killing the fucker or your partner over there can do it. Either way, he's dead in my books."

He didn't say goodbye. Tsuna knew the words lingering between them were that of a promised meeting at a later date.

* * *

"—so that's that." Tsuna trailed off. "It makes things easier since we had a plan to go to the Club Centre tonight anyways." Tsuna had just finished explaining what that mysterious blonde had told him. When Xanxus doubted it, Tsuna had told him that he didn't pick up any vibes that told him otherwise. Everything that had been said was the truth.

Currently, the two of them were sitting in a food court with a pair of sodas sitting in front of them. They had already picked out their outfits for the night and some other accessories which took out only two hundred US dollars leaving them with sixteen hundred more for living expenses. "And he didn't ask for any money." Xanxus accused.

"He said the, and I quote, 'payment for the information will be killing the fucker off'. I'm going to go out on a limb and say that this mystery informant has a grudge against Zarkov." Tsuna polished off the last of his soda and pushed away from the table. Xanxus mimicked his actions and they walked at a leisurely pace back to the direction their hotel was at.

"Wouldn't surprise me. The only reason the old man agreed was because Zarkov was starting to be a thorn in our side. Admitting to having involvement in an ongoing investigation was just the icing on the cake."

Tsuna opened his mouth but the sharp prickling sensation of malicious intent directed at him sent his nerves on edge. Xanxus noticed the sudden change and moved so that they were closer together.

And then they broke into a sprint.

The chase was on, they knew, and they had to outrun whoever was chasing them. "Split and meet back at the center of the back-alleys." Xanxus uttered, his lips barely moving.

"Agreed."

Tsuna skid to a stop and launched himself to the right while Xanxus continued down the path he was on before. Tsuna kicked off of the wall and scrambled up the side of the building before vaulting over a fence. Hearing the footsteps behind him, Tsuna picked up the pace, dropping to the ground to dodge an onslaught of bullets.

Tsuna launched forward again and launched off of the edge of the building, rolling to break his fall before skidding to a halt when he came to a dead end. He cursed under his breath but he didn't even get the first word out when something hard collided with the back of his head, driving him to his knees and then onto his stomach. He felt the familiar sensation of someone grabbing his hair and forcing him up. Tsuna reached for the hand in an attempt to lessen the pain.

The brunette jerked back before someone grabbed his chin and forced his lips to part. "Now, now, sweetie, don't mind the grogginess in the beginning. This drug will make you feel nice and hot." Something was forced into his mouth and the hand that grabbed his chin clamped over his mouth and nose, another rising to rub his throat in swallowing motions.

The liquid slid down Tsuna's throat in a slimy, unsavory sort of way. It didn't have a taste but it made him sick nonetheless. A jolt of fire ran through his veins, scorching his body as it began metabolizing. Just as the slimy sack of nasty had said, his eyes began to glaze and his vision doubled but the heat only increased. '_Wh—_' His thought cut off when a pulsation wracked through his body.

His cheeks flushed as he was left aching in a foreign sort of way. The grips on his hands hadn't disappeared and the chain around his neck was yanked forward. His legs gave out from the strain but the man who had forced the drug down his throat tilted Tsuna's head up to get a better look at him.

"Hey, he's a cutie…" He purred, stroking Tsuna's lips in a mockingly caring manner.

Mustering all the strength he could, when the man drove his fingers into his mouth, he bit down on them. Hard. He tasted the man's blood and he knew his blunt teeth would leave an imprint for days—possibly weeks. He didn't let go until he was slapped hard enough for his head to loll back. His cheek swelled, burning with a reminder that he should do what they said or end up worse off. Tsuna couldn't hear what they were saying anymore since his blood was absolutely pounding in his ears now. It was probably to wait until the drug took full effect but Tsuna wasn't going to wait that long.

Tsuna shifted suddenly before sliding his legs out in front of him. His back was pressed against the cool stone wall and his sweat-slicked palms were pushing against the rock. His knees were drawn up to his chest and if anyone looked at him, it would look as if he was trying to spare himself the humiliation of being bare or he was crying but in reality, he was simply putting up an illusion of such.

But that was only if he got it done before whatever this drug was kicked in at full force. His vision was still blurry and his body hot but if that's all it really did, he could live with that. It was foreign but bearable. A spasm rocked through Tsuna's body and for a moment his muscles ceased up. He shuddered, biting down on his tongue to keep any sounds from escaping before returning to his work. When the head of the screw finally came undone, his time was up.

The men surrounded him and forced him forward again, not noticing that the head of the screw was undone yet. The same guy who he had bit walked forward and grabbed a fistful of hair. "Alright, bitch, if you bite this, I'll shove this knife in your ear." He held up a pick-like knife that was long and thin.

Tsuna watched through hazy eyes as he undid the zipper. _'You know… for the record, these bastards aren't my type_.' Tsuna thought wryly as he jerked to the side and freed his hand lashed out, grabbing the man's throat. "How about if I rip it off instead?" Tsuna asked in a venomously sweet tone. The man looked up at him in horror when Tsuna pointed his companion's gun at him. "Did Zarkov send you?" Tsuna demanded.

"N-No… h-his right h-hand did! He said that there was a brunette and his companion n-needed s-some roughing up!"

"Does Zarkov know about it?"

"N-no."

"Good." Xanxus said from behind the man who had forced Tsuna onto his knees before pulling the trigger to the gun. Tsuna moved just as the others moved to flee and twisted one of their necks. Xanxus and Tsuna both moved at the same time, grabbing the men's arms and kicking them so that their elbow joints bent in the opposite intended direction. The sickening crunch and their pained screams tore through the alleyway like a hot spoon through butter.

Xanxus watched as Tsuna's expression twisted into something emotionless and cruel. Xanxus blinked and shifted, his thoughts echoing loudly in the refines of his mind. '_When we're both drunk off of blood and adrenalin, all I can do is lust after him._' It was interesting, watching as Tsuna's expression twisted from cruel to bright. As if sensing his gaze, he turned towards Xanxus with a limp smile on his lips. "Come on, let's get back to the hotel."

When he had seen Tsuna take off, his first instinct had been to let him do his thing and trust him… but Xanxus didn't like it when all of the shadows had followed him instead so opted for blending into the shadows and taking the long way around—his adrenalin pumping through his veins all the way there. The two of them were breathing heavier than normal and Tsuna's eyes were glazed with something unidentifiable—no, it wasn't unidentifiable, he just didn't want it to be true.

It was unaltered arousal.

Xanxus wasn't a stranger to sex. Being introduced to the Mafia at a young age made for an interesting purpose in life. It wasn't unusual to see twelve year olds being surrounded by a bunch of high-grade escorts—the ones that hung off of a Don's arm at political gatherings and such, not the hookers that usually hung around the slammers to get a low paid fuck—or exotic dancers that kept some level of decency when they preformed. He just so happened to be one of those fortunate kids.

So, needless to say, by age fifteen, he was already having hot, dirty sex with women twice his age. Not that it mattered much to the women because mostly all of them had one thing to say about him and that was that he was quite well hung for his age.

Still, though… the thought of doing this with Tsuna was unnerving him. It almost made him nervous.

Almost.

The door to their room closed and Xanxus felt his restraints snap. He spun around and pushed the boy against the wall and lifting his legs so that they wrapped around his waist, lips crashing over the smaller boy's with an unseen urgency. Tsuna responded by tilting his head back and parting his lips for better access. The response surprised Xanxus but he was too drunk off of the feel of adrenalin, lust and blood to care. "Nngh…" Tsuna moaned, wrapping his arms around Xanxus's neck and pulling him closer.

'_When he kissed me… I felt like I couldn't stop._' Tsuna thought as Xanxus shoved his button-up shirt off of his shoulders. '_I felt like he couldn't stop._'

Xanxus traded the bruising grasp he had on his wrists to feel the well-toned legs currently wrapped around his sides. Their mouths molded together, this time Tsuna catching on to what was supposed to be done, and his fingers trailed through the equally soft, shadowy locks that spiked against his palm. Tsuna made another sound—a choked gasp—and Xanxus froze before smirking inwardly and letting his fingers trace over the spot he brushed against again and Tsuna's nails bit into his shoulder.

It was a spot that not very many people could touch—reserved only for lovers. It was on the inside of his thigh about three inches above his knee.

Tsuna moaned again when Xanxus shifted his thigh and brushed against that spot again, sending white flashes through his mind and making his body hotter than the drug had. No one had touched him there before. It was such a strange sensation that sent chills through his body but it wasn't unpleasant. At some point during their rigorous kissing, they had moved so that they were on the bed and Tsuna was all but laying on top of Xanxus practically pinning him against the bed. Realizing their positions, Tsuna pulled away with a thin trail of saliva connecting them.

"Thought… you wouldn't… submit…" Xanxus teased breathlessly.

"Sh-shut up and… nngh… show me… that kiss again." Tsuna ordered, forcing their mouths together again. Their tongues wrestled in a molten hot kiss that sent both of their minds into white noise but neither of them were willing to give up the battle just yet. Xanxus groaned against Tsuna's mouth as their covered groins gently rubbed against one another's through their shields in just a bare circular motion that set spurts of heat up Tsuna's arched spine. The combination of rough friction and arousal running through both of them was almost enough for Xanxus to lose control—control that he had exercised too much of throughout his years. Tsunayoshi wasn't even stopping it.

Xanxus trailed kisses down Tsuna's jaw and to his throat. Tsuna's head lolled back and he offered his throat to Xanxus. It was an absolute move of submission that sealed Xanxus's thoughts. Of course, Tsunayoshi wasn't even aware of what he had just done. Xanxus's touches were hot on his skin, forcing him to lose control of the situation, to submit. It terrified him but he couldn't bring himself to stop—whether or not it was because of the drug he didn't know and at this point, he didn't care either.

_'So… so good!'_ He thought through the haze as Xanxus nipped at his collar-bone. Tsuna's glazed, and now glowing, amber eyes flickered up to meet Xanxus's smoldering red ones that all but begged for trust. Tsuna felt himself responding without his knowledge of it—who said he couldn't lose control every once in a while?

Tsuna's fingers ran over Xanxus's bare chest, realizing just how nude both of them were at this point.

The two of them were left mostly and Tsuna took that chance to overlook the sight in front of him. Xanxus was well toned for appearing only as a sixteen year old. Following Xanxus' example, Tsuna nipped and tease at his throat, occasionally leaving a mark or two. His fingers were light as they traced over the smooth scars.

His scars didn't feel any different. They were darker shadows, faded onto the sun-kissed skin. They were soft under his touch, and no doubt Xanxus could feel every brush of flesh against flesh if his shuddering breath was any sign. Xanxus was, in a word, sinfully attractive, even with the scars.

Xanxus looked over Tsuna with appreciation. He was like a work of art with all of his marks on him… but he wasn't his yet. Xanxus tugged at the waist of Tsuna's jeans, and the brunette lifted his hips allowing them to be pulled from his body along with his boxers, blushing slightly and looking away. His leg lifted slightly in instinct, not used to being left so bare but when Xanxus settled between his legs, just as nude as he was, Tsuna felt his embarrassment fade.

Xanxus shifted his bare hips against Tsuna's, causing an unusually high amount of friction. Their focus was entirely on the feel of flesh on flesh, the friction when their hips met, making Tsuna arch slightly off the bed and moan in surprise when Xanxus rubbed both of their engorged members together. Their blood was pounding in their ears leaving it so the only sound they could hear was the other's moans, grunts or murmurs of approval when one of them moved a certain way.

Unfortunately (or was it fortunately? Tsuna was kinda' lost in a haze of lust and pleasure so he wasn't sure what it was considered) the friction wasn't enough to make either of them come, regardless of how much they wanted to.

Xanxus's hand trailed down over his shoulder in a feathery light touch down to his navel where he circled before going even lower. The click of a cap could be heard but Tsuna was too lost in the sensations to hear it.

Xanxus hovered over Tsuna, not actually touching him.

Two fingers, in one go, were pressed to his entrance and Tsuna stiffened slightly. Slicked and ready, Xanxus pressed them both inside of Tsuna and it required all of his strength not to scream out. The pain sent jolts of vibrations throughout his body, enhancing the heat almost. His hips shifted on instinct, angling so that Xanxus could get better access. Knowing what to do, he wrapped his other hand around Tsuna's throbbing, aching, cock and began to pump slowly.

Tsuna was so lost in the sensations it almost drove him insane. His long, dexterous fingers scissored and curled making Tsuna squirm slightly but the way Xanxus's legs were pinning his, he couldn't move. Tsuna's digits clawed at Xanxus's shoulders as he whimpered at the searing—pleasurably so—pain that sent sharp, hot tingles throughout his body.

Xanxus felt himself snap at the sight of Tsuna fucking himself on his fingers as he prepared him. He licked his lips at the sight, attempting to gain back some of the lost moisture to his mouth. Noticing the tell-tale signs of climax, he pulled away from Tsuna and positioned himself against Tsuna's previously stretched entrance. Tsuna felt his eyes widen but before he could protest, Xanxus was ravaging his mouth again. In one solid thrust, Xanxus eased himself into Tsuna, grunting at how tight he was. He felt as if he was pulled into the younger boy—something that would have amused him if he weren't so focused on feeling right now.

Tsuna arched against Xanxus, his nails digging into his back and leaving angry red marks in its wake.

It was too much, each thrust, each scratch, each action… it was tore through them, searing into their memory. It was everything but at the same time, it was nothing. Even as they climaxed, reaching that point of no return, the two of them knew that this wasn't the last time they'd have sex… but it was the first… and it meant everything to both of them.

There wasn't any emotional binds in their actions at the moment... but there would be. Eventually.

* * *

Tsuna was laying on Xanxus's back, their legs intertwined and arms crossed over his shoulders. He was still coming off of Cloud Nine from their mind-blowing… _session_ and it left his body thrumming with endorphins. Tsuna smiled, tilting his head slightly and making a sound of content. "What are you humming about?" Xanxus asked, moving so he could look back at the little Don.

"Nothing." Tsuna said, an innocent grin on his lips. "Just happy."

"Happy." Xanxus stated. "Why?"

"Secrets are endearing to have, Xanxus." Tsuna teased. "I won't tell you," He moved so that their lips were only a centimeter apart. "Unless you pay up." Xanxus rolled and Tsuna found himself underneath the taller assassin again, their lips connected and tongues wrestling. Tsuna chuckled against his lips, amber eyes dancing with mischief.

"You're a cheat," Xanxus said huskily, pulling away. "And we have a club to go to tonight."

Tonight… would be paradise.

_**Tsuzukeru.**_

* * *

As promised, things started heating up again. Not much violence but there is some other stuff. Oh-ho-ho! Xanxus has a head start in the relationship. What will this mean for Reborn? Stay tuned and find out~!

This chapter and the next were supposed to be one but the original word count was _over nine thousand _and intended word count is usually below six thousand, not including the Author's Notes.

Thanks for reading~!


	6. Chapter 6: Predicaments of What Variety

**_Author's Note_: **Honest to God, I wanted to keep going. I split this chapter and the previous chapter and redid it like four times before I was happy with it. Finally, _finally_, something else happens. The next couple of chapters will have dark themes because of the nature of this story but I hope you'll enjoy it none the less. There's also some non-graphic smut in this chapter too so watch out for that.

* * *

Getting used to walking with a little bit of pain—_hah that was the understatement of the century_—from their rigorous sex wasn't the problem. Tsuna was used to Reborn's rough training sessions during his spontaneous mood swings–that had been happening more and more since the curse had been broken—so he could mask his aches with ease. No, the problem was that he couldn't keep his eyes off of Xanxus the entire night. His outfit was an open black button-up polo shirt with a dark, crimson shirt underneath. His pants were faded-grey leather so they reflected whatever color the lights decided they wanted to shine which was fine with him. He looked at the hair ornaments hanging from Xanxus's spiky black hair. They accented his outfit perfectly… and they had raw power beneath them. It was enervating, energizing even.

It made Tsuna look plain in comparison (in his opinion at least. Xanxus would beg to differ). Tsuna was wearing a tight black tank top under an open long sleeved—that was rolled up to be quarter sleeves—silk-orange button-up, dark wash jeans riding low on his slim hips. The belt around his waist was vibrant white with black and orange studs that went around it in a checker pattern. The studs were evenly spaced out to show the white on the belt. A black tie was tied loosely around his neck. It had a white cross on the bottom and the back of it wasn't tucked away like it should have been. Rather than making him look sleazy, it added to the fashionable statement. It was accented perfectly because the back that should have been tucked away was white instead of black so it added contrast.

But all the same, no matter how dull or good someone looked, Tsuna was no fool and this was no game. He knew enemy territory when he walked into it but Zarkov's underground clubs were badass, he had to admit. Almost as badass as Xanxus looked. Just as his thoughts rang, the song morphed into something different—an American song, he knew. The lights flashed in tune with the opening, circling around and making everything spin. "You like this shit?" Xanxus asked over the base at Tsuna's slight shift when the music altered.

"I don't listen to much music. Everything's so mainstream anymore," Tsuna called back and Xanxus barked with laughter.

"Shall we show you the joys of music then?" Xanxus asked, holding out his hand and guiding Tsuna onto the dance-floor.

**_Something lately drives me crazy,  
Has to do with how you make me,  
Struggle to get your attention,  
Calling you brings apprehension,  
Texts from you and sex from you,  
Are things that are not so uncommon?  
Flirt with you you're all about it,  
Tell me why I feel unwanted?_**

The thrum of the bass beat was perfectly synced by the provocative dancing that the sexed out teenagers and doped adults had all picked up on. Their bodies intertwined in sensually arousing motions, some even going farther than that. Tsuna didn't allow himself to lose control like the people around him were, though his body was screaming at him to go further now that he had a taste of what something like that could be like. His thigh pressed against Xanxus's, grinding and moving with provocative movements. As if cued, two women latched onto Tsuna and started dancing with him, luring him away from Xanxus who took the initiative and waded through the crowd to get the information they had come to get. Xanxus knew Tsuna wouldn't go any further—despite having a taste of what a mind-blowing orgasm could taste-like. It was also that… the two women he was dancing with didn't… _appease_ to his appetite.

Currently, he was dancing with two girls who had both chose to be in front and behind him, grinding against him. One of the girls was dressed in a black, pleated skirt, a white button up shirt with a black tie that hung loosely from her neck. Her breasts were decently covered by a black, leather half-jacket. Her blonde hair was tied back into a messy ponytail that only added to her look. The other girl was a red-head that was wearing something similar. Her hips were accented by a black, ruffled pencil skirt that went down to her mid thigh. Her shirt was a white lace tank-top that would have been exposing around her shoulder area if it weren't for the blood red, leather half-jacket. They were wearing things that teased the imagination but didn't make then look sleazy—and Tsuna was glad that they were the ones who grabbed him since he could have been much worse off.

After ordering and nursing a cocktail with a wicked gleam to his eyes, he watched Tsuna move sensually to the beat of Simon Curtis's '_Super Psycho Love_' between two women. Those legs… even clothed, Xanxus could see Tsuna's fine curves and firm muscles. Power was a sexy thing to see on a body like his. "Good sight to see, eh?" The bartender asked, looking over the three with appreciation. Xanxus was tempted to light his hair on fire for the lingering glance he spared _his_ Tsuna. "Which one you got your sights set on?"

"The one in the middle," Xanxus replied, his lips quirking into a smirk at the irony of it all. He had taken him earlier so it wouldn't make a difference now—even though his cock was twitching to be buried in that hot, tight ass again and again. '_Stop thinking about it, moron. You have a job to do while he's holding his own._' "Cutting loose tonight, maybe I should get a few more," He added casually.

The bartender's eyes sharpened suddenly. "Raynoldo has been expecting you," He moved and lifted the break in the counter. Xanxus met Tsuna's gaze and the brunette tilted his head a bit in acknowledgement before snaking through the crowd and blending out.

* * *

"My plane just landed." Bel said into the receiver. "Zarkov doesn't know anything but it's only a matter of time before he makes a move against us." '_Or them…_' He didn't say it but he knew that Hayato heard the words nonetheless.

"_I didn't think to ask about the hotel they were staying at. Are you sure you'll be able to find it easily?_" Hayato asked, light concern etching into his tone.

Bel snorted. "Has Sawada ever told you that you're worse than a nagging housewife? There are four hotels within hitch-hiking distance of the crash site. I'll contact you when I get in touch with them."

* * *

"Damn right you will." Hayato replied to Bel's overconfident tone. "Or I'll give you a good hiding in return."

"_That's not all you'll do, baby, shishishi~._"

"Since you're confident enough to be flirting with those that outrank you, I'll leave you to your work." Hayato flipped the phone shut and rolled his eyes exasperatedly. "Three more steps ahead but still four behind. I wonder what Juudiame's doing now." He mused aloud. '_I wonder if Haru's got the message yet… probably not considering… I wonder if she'll play the silver knight in this story._' His amusement was cut short when Squalo caught his attention.

"Bel just check in?" Squalo asked.

"Yeah. Knowing the boss, he'll probably ask for a team when we get there since Zarkov is one of the people he wanted to take out while they were still somewhat small." Hayato paused, ensuring that everyone was listening. "Pack your gear… Zarkov and his business are about to know the meaning of six feet under."

"Bloodbath?" Reborn asked.

"Most likely… wanna' come?" Hayato smirked. He knew how much the ex-Arcobaleno enjoyed watching when Tsuna was feeling lethal.

"Oh yeah."

* * *

Reluctant as he was to admit it, Tsuna was having fun. The feeling of having people pressed against him without any true emotion or knowledge of who he was made it easy for him to cut loose—even if only a bit.

But each time someone pressed their hips against his, he felt Xanxus driving himself deeper into him as a ghost of a memory that was still so fresh in his mind. His body still throbbed, longed for more. He hadn't had sex with either gender before but now that he had, it was exquisite, the endorphins that thrummed through his body like he had just had a nice work-out. '_Stop thinking about it. Xanxus is the only person you'd ever submit to and you know it._' Tsuna snarled at himself in thought. Besides, it was probably just a one time thing.

"Hey baby," A burly man said, hovering over Tsuna and snaking an arm around his waist.

"Lookin' for a good time?" Another man asked, his eyes batting teasingly. Tsuna was suddenly reminded of Lussuria… but in an overly hideous body. This man was quite obviously into small boys that didn't look like they could handle their own.

Too bad he'd have to disappoint him. Just as Tsuna was about to open his mouth and tell these two rump-buddies to get lost, a deeper, cat-like purr rolled through the tense not-silence. "Get lost. This one's mine." The flashing lights gave Xanxus's eyes a darker appearance, intimidating and his aura was absolutely murderous. It sent a shudder of anticipation down Tsuna's spine.

'_Turned on by killer intent? Oh God no… don't even go there…_' Tsuna wanted to slap himself. "Hey, love, I was wondering when you'd get back." Tsuna sauntered out of the men's grip and moved to be closer to Xanxus. "These nice men were just helping me pass the time, right boys?" '_Oh, please take that as the bate to **leavemethefuckalone**._' Luckily, they did. Without any words, the two homosexual men left to go bother someone else and Tsuna moved away from Xanxus. "Thanks. For a second I thought I was going to have to introduce those two knock-offs to my fists." But just as he was about to move away, Xanxus caught him around his waist. Tsuna looked back in question and blinked a bit, eyes wide with curiosity.

"Oh no, I said you were mine…" Xanxus moved so that his hips were pressing against Tsuna's. He felt the boy shudder against him before turning around and wrapping his arms around his neck. "And I meant it." His low purr made Tsuna's body spasm with a sharp, brutal lust that made him think that maybe the drug he had forcedly ingested earlier wasn't quite out of his system.

"You really know how to seduce someone into submission," Tsuna remarked, shifting his hips against Xanxus's.

"Mm, you ain't seen nothin' yet," Xanxus purred, his lips catching Tsuna's ear before forcing the smaller Sky's lips to meet his. Tsuna had complied in the less-than-chaste kiss but Xanxus felt a jolt of lust run through him—

* * *

—before Xanxus pinned him against the cool metal of a black Porsche hidden from view. Tsuna moaned and shivered beneath his touch, arousal already coursing through him with unusual intensity. "T-Twice… nngh… in one ni—_hah_—ght? You're… ins_a_tiable…" Tsuna teased between his breathless pants.

"You're… one to talk." Xanxus shot back huskily, their still-clothed groins rubbing together—_friction, sweet friction_—sending spurts of heat through their bodies. "You're… just as aroused… as I am." And it was true. Their clothes were clinging to their skin and their pants seemed too tight around their hips.

Xanxus's fingers trailed through the rusty silk locks, harshly pulling his head back and forcing better access. He tried to ignore the aroused sound that Tsuna had made, breathless and lustful, when his tongue brushed against a sensitive spot inside of his hot, wet mouth. Tsuna broke the kiss and hooked his arms around Xanxus's neck. He positioned his lips at the elder assassin's ear, whispering one sinful phrase that sealed his fate. "Show me what you've got, assassin."

Xanxus growled, nipping playfully at his throat. "I'm going to make you lose control."

By the time the other finally settled between his parted—_and bare… how could they have not noticed their clothes being removed?—_legs and slid inside of him, Tsuna was little more than a whimpering, trembling mass of mindless need and Xanxus no better. Xanxus lathered in the sensation of Tsuna's legs wrapped around his lean waist, fingernails digging into his back, the way he was drawn into the teen… all of it. He let himself feel Tsuna taking him in again and again—_please_, harder and _faster_ and more, more, _more_—until both of them came in a hot series of spurts.

They were both panting when reality flooded them again. For what seemed like an eternity, they attempted to regain their breath, their bearings, before Xanxus pulled away and they cleaned away the evidence of their heated session.

'_Nothing like lovers,_' Tsuna thought because it was the truth. They weren't lovers. Xanxus was simply the one he gave his virginity to and be it because of that damn drug or because Xanxus was just that damn sexy, he didn't know. '_Oh God. The sex is really getting to your head…_' Never mind the fact that they'd only had sex twice within the past twenty four hours. '_Or maybe it's the lack of sun… yeah, that's it. The change in environment._'

Honestly. He'd never paid the Varia assassin that much mind before. Xanxus was simply someone he fought against and won… even if the Ring Conflicts were staged as it was. And those words… they hadn't been spoken simply out of protection. He picked up true possessiveness. But it couldn't have been Xanxus hated him… right?

But deny it all he wanted, Tsuna knew otherwise. He knew that it was more than that. "You're quiet." Xanxus remarked as they drifted into a different lane. They had been driving for ten minutes and Tsuna had been quiet since he got into the car, shifting occasionally when he put too much pressure on a sensitive part of his body.

"Just thinking." Tsuna replied, smirking a bit.

"About?"

How did he put that tactfully? No, strike that last thought. How did he put that without sounding like a mother fucking woman? "Stuff," Tsuna said in feigned nonchalance. Xanxus didn't take the dismissal.

"I'm curious. It's the bane of my existence… and if you don't tell me… I'll force you to tell me." Xanxus's eyes teased as he shot Tsuna a naughty smirk. Tsuna's eyes widened and his cheeks flared with color.

"Fine!" Tsuna exclaimed dramatically. "I was just thinking about this predicament." Half truth is still a whole lie but it was better than telling him which part of the predicament. Now if only Xanxus let it go with that—

"Which part?"

Fuck.

Tsuna was silent, contemplating whether or not he should lie. His eyes caught something just as he was about to reply, "Get down!" Tsuna ordered, slumping down in his seat to dodge the bullet that tore through the Porsche they had—ahem—had sex on and then promptly stolen.

"I thought we already played this game." Xanxus cursed, swerving onto the exit-ramp. "Ah, fuck me!" He pulled up to a stop. Fucking rush traffic.

"Run." Tsuna threw open the door and launched himself forward through the maze of cars, knowing Xanxus wasn't all that far behind him. The two of them had run at high speeds, knowing their pursuers were hot on their tail even if they didn't appear to be. Tsuna moved to the edge and looked over to the buildings underneath the freeway. '_Leap of faith…_' He thought before glancing back at Xanxus who nodded.

And then they jumped.

Tsuna hadn't landed as lightly on his feet as he would have hoped, instead being sprawled out on his hands and knees before he sprang back up and propelled himself forward again not even bothering to look back to know that Xanxus had landed beside him. Because of the vast amount of buildings and city setting, he knew that once he got to a crowded area, he could lose the groups behind them.

These types of people never worked alone, Tsuna thought as they vaulted through the city, slipping through the people without much trouble and masking their presence. They were bound to run into more people soon and when that happened, he knew they were screwed. They had the skill and power but lacked the time and weapons. Tsuna had the gun but a few tricks here and there weren't good enough. He was also at a disadvantage since he couldn't channel his flames for more than sixty seconds before it started burning away at his flesh.

Xanxus kicked off of the base of the building and repeated the action, going against the flow of gravity. Tsuna mirrored his actions and soon they were on the rooftops, looking down as the assassins that were shadowing them looked around clueless as to where they had vanished to before the blonde looked up and the two trained Sky Guardians took off running again.

The sky above them was blood red as the morning sun touched it. No overcast and the moon was contrasting silver against the red morning light. There will be complications, his instinct hissed but Tsuna didn't have time to listen to the warnings properly. If he did, he would be caught and Russians were known for being the most ruthless in the underground.

Tsuna skidded to a halt before looking down at the curved counter between the up and down escalators. Without a second thought, he jumped, letting gravity do its job and pull him downwards before he landed on his feet and running through the subway tunnels.

Xanxus matched his pace, grabbing his arm and pulling him into a shaded dent that they hid in easily. The assassins ran past them and hesitantly, Xanxus slipped out and ran through the crowd, waiting for the doors to the subway to open before they stepped on board the underground train. "Do think we lost them?" Tsuna asked softly in Italian as to not be overheard by nosy strangers.

"Doubtful," Xanxus muttered, mirroring Tsuna's language choice and pulling him closer to take up less room. "When this subway lets off, we'll worry about it then."

"If we last that long," Tsuna motioned towards the car to the left of them where two burly looking guards were sifting through the passengers. They were dressed in authorities' uniform but the tattoos on their necks and hands said opposite things. The two burly men caught their gaze and motioned towards the door.

And that was all it took.

Tsuna and Xanxus waded through the crowd, moving from one car to the next until they reached the caboose of the subway. With only one option to spare, Tsuna moved to throw open the door but stopped when something ice cold and metal dug into the base of his skull. "That will be far enough, Vongola Decimo." Standing behind him was the pasty-faced mercenary that had caused them so much trouble from the very beginning.

Alfred Zarkov.

And the only word that he had to contribute to the situation summarized it perfectly. '_Fuck._'

_**Tsuzukeru.**_

* * *

Short chapter. Lots of action. I sincerely hope Tsuna will be alright. Stay tuned for more within the next few days~!

Thanks for reading~!


	7. Chapter 7: Drowning

**_Author's Note_: **First off let me say how happy I am that you all liked this story. Now, let me get onto some serious stuff, shall we? I am going on a week long trip with my mother in a few days and I won't be able to update while I am away. I'll probably have my tablet with me but I won't have internet access until we check into a motel room for the night... so I'll just leave you hanging until I get back. ;p

On with the chapter~!

* * *

Bianchi's eyes widened in shock and an unbearable sense of dread overcame her. "Raynoldo, are you sure?"

"Yes, dear, I'm positive. Svetlana and his boyfriend picked up a little brunette in Club Centre a few hours ago and gave Zarkov the slip." A motherly tone on a male's voice said with concern. "The tall one took Zane's invite and asked for me indirectly at the bar but I was in a prior meeting so he left before I could give him the information package."

She had set it up so one of Raynoldo's many lovers—Zane, was this one's name—would find them and lead them back to the bar and he would give them proper cover until they could be extracted to launch a proper team to end Zarkov's business but something went wrong in the plans. Zarkov was two steps ahead of them. One of Raynoldo's men had been paid off and gave them Xanxus and Tsunayoshi's location. "Hayato," She said immediately after flipping open her phone not bothering to wait for a greeting from her half brother. "We have a problem."

* * *

"Alright," Hayato replied after Bianchi finished explaining. "Bel is already on his way to the hotel?"

"_Yeah… hold on, my other phone is ringing._" There was muffled speech before a foul curse escaped the female assassin's lips and the already sinking feeling in Hayato's gut worsened. "_Bad news, Zarkov intercepted them already. They aren't at the hotel. Bel flashed their picture but the bell-boy said that they left earlier in some party clothes._"

"Have they been apprehended?" Squalo demanded.

More muffled speech. "_Yes but they don't know where Zarkov is taking them._"

Hayato cursed under his breath. "Alright, call Bel back and wait for further orders."

"_Copy that._"

"How fast can you be prepped for flight?" Hayato asked, looking up at Squalo. "It's time we stopped playing puppeteer and started getting involved personally. This means taking Zarkov's men down one by one if required but no matter how infamous he is, his organization is still large and we can't fight alone."

"When do we leave?"

* * *

Tsuna knew from the moment that Xanxus was led down a separate hallway that things were going to go downhill. He knew from the second that Zarkov closed the door to his bedroom—_his bedroom. Not a torture chamber… but they may as well been the same thing if his instinct was telling him right_—and locked it securely. Zarkov wasn't in there for the moment but Tsuna was unnerved all the same. He was unsure of how much time had passed since he left but when Zarkov walked back in, Tsuna was tense, even as the Russian Don circled around him, leering at him like a tiger eyed its prey. When he wrapped an arm around his shoulders and buried his face against the back of his neck, inhaling his scent, Tsuna knew that things were going to get worse…

And there was no escape.

'_Oh no… this is bad. I have to get out of here! But… how?_' Tsuna screamed in thought but the arm wrapping around his shoulder prevented him from leaving. "Mm, sweet Tsunayoshi…"

"Let go of me!" Tsuna jerked away, lunging for the door but an arm caught his waist. He heard the sound of glass hitting the floor before a cold, flat surface was under his back and a thigh was forcedly separating his legs.

"There's no escape for you anymore, Vongola Decimo…" Zarkov leered. "I won't let you run."

"No… don't… don't touch me!" Tsuna screamed, his legs thrashing underneath the Russian Don.

"Now, now, don't be like that…" Zarkov said with mock-rejection lacing his tone. "You wouldn't want to hurt the one who's holding your life in his hands… would you?" His grip on his throat tightened and Tsuna froze beneath him, fear trickling into his eyes. "I _own_ you now, you little brat, now play nice and I'll consider letting Xanxus return to Italy still in one piece."

'_Xanxus…_' Tsuna thought, eyes closing when Zarkov's nails dug into his throat but didn't cut off his ability to breath. '_That's right!_' Tsuna's knee thrust up and collided with Zarkov's groin before he shoved him away, lunging for the corner and pressing against it, Reborn's voice spinning sharply through his mind—_"When you find yourself in a position against someone who has the advantage over you, corner yourself. It gives you three things to work with. You have a wider range, a protective barrier and no openings for them to use unless they know how to nullify your flames."_—'_Remind me to thank Reborn for his Spartan methods when I get out of this predicament._' Tsuna thought wryly as his captor stood up with fury in his expression.

Tsuna watched with cold calculation as Zarkov paced around him, eyes narrowing before a sinister smile split his features. "I was hoping I wouldn't have to do this." He raised his hand and pressed the button to his intercom. "Svetlana, would you mind bringing my ace?"

"_Right away, sir._"

Tsuna felt his mouth settle into a frown. Ace? Zarkov had more? "I have to admit… when my men told me that they did it, I was surprised." Tsuna felt a sinking feeling of dread pooling in his abdomen as a familiar flame washed over him in a warming presence. Behind Zarkov, the wall shifted and moved away while the door opened and a cart covered by a cloth with some bulky items sticking out showed through—it didn't take a genius to calculate what was under the cover or why Xanxus was strapped to a metal bar that was being supported by two posts. Tsuna could barely stifle his rage and fear that combined into a sickly combination that tore away at his gut.

Reborn told him that no amount of training, no amount of emotional restraint could prepare him for the strain it took to watch as someone he cared for—_yes, he knew that now. He did care for Xanxus more so than himself_—tortured right before his very eyes. He had been fortunate up until this point not to experience it but now… now he was going to see just how ruthless that kind of thing truly was.

"No!" Tsuna cried out, stepping forward and eyes widening when Xanxus's head snapped up from its limp state and for a brief moment, Tsuna swore he saw panic flare through his crimson eyes before they were closed off once again. "Let him go, Zarkov." Tsuna said menacingly, eyes flaring sunset when the Russian scum simply grinned a smug grin that was reminiscent of Reborn's when he beat him in a fight. '_No, Reborn would never be this cruel…_' Tsuna thought. It was an insult to even think about comparing the two.

"Oh yes…" Zarkov made a motion and Tsuna felt something collide with the back of his knees and his arms were grabbed by two men—one for each side—while one stood on his legs and held his head in place by fisting his hair in their grip. Zarkov stepped forward and squeezed Tsuna's chin between his thumb and index finger. "Tell me, Decimo, do you know what a Picana is?" Zarkov asked. "It's a very useful device to keep on hand. The high voltage means the shocks are ample but the low current means they are less likely to kill the intended target… but it's painful enough that you'll wish it had."

Oh yes, Tsuna knew what they were well enough. He had even been the target of one once before. It was excruciating but not unbearable for set amounts of time. Tsuna glared defiantly at Zarkov with disgust rolling through his eyes.

Zarkov turned away from Tsuna, his back exposed in a mocking motion. Tsuna's eyes narrowed as he caught sight of what looked like a cross tattooed onto the back of his neck, "You don't deserve salvation." Tsuna said in a deceptively calm voice. "People like you deserve to rot in the deepest pits of hell and when my Vongola finally gets their hands on you, that's exactly where you'll be going." And then his eyes glazed with their amber hue.

Zarkov didn't say anything, instead motioning for water to be thrown on Xanxus and tapping the end of the rod against the restrained assassin's throat. Tsuna blacked out for a moment, his rage all consuming, but he forced the haze away in time to see Xanxus's chest rising and falling with deep, steadying breaths showing that he had been shocked a few more times during his haze. "You take a beating well… but does your companion?" Zarkov asked, motioning for Tsuna to be exposed as well.

If he couldn't break one, he'd break the other.

The men tore away at his shirt and forced him on his knees and exposed his back to Zarkov's view. "Such a pity you have scars at such a young age… shall I add to them?" He asked taunting before Tsuna felt his Intuition cackle with a warning.

Before he knew it, Tsuna felt something hot and sharp carve into his flesh. Tsuna clenched his teeth, his jaw tightening to stop from giving this bastard the pleasure of hearing his screams. He could feel the blade digging into his flesh, heated over an open flame to add to the pain. He could feel Zarkov twisting the blade to widen the cut as it got further down his back. When the blade withdrew, Tsuna was left panting raggedly before the searing, stabbing pain began again.

Xanxus watched with narrowed eyes and growing rage as his Tsunayoshi was carved into, the 'X' more prominent than before. The smell of burning flesh and blood filled the air and Xanxus was powerless to stop it. The pain must have been unbearable for Tsunayoshi because his eyes glazed, returning to their normal brown hue and he slumped forward. Against his better judgment, Xanxus looked at the wound with practiced professionalism.

Zarkov was at least knowledgeable enough to miss any and all important nerves… but at this rate, Tsuna would bleed out. "You won't win this you know," Xanxus spat. "Vongola will always win in the end…"

'_But who is the winner now?_' Zarkov wanted to say. He wanted to gloat, to laugh in their faces. He wanted to sneer and spit on them. He had won! Vongola was _his_!

No… not yet. He still had to break him. Tsunayoshi was too defiant, too unwilling. He would have fun breaking him though. Just like he had utterly shattered Federico… and when he was done, he could kill him off in the most painful, most agonizing way he could think of.

But until then, he had to wait. He was going to lure them near before killing them off, one by one, and then he would have his reward—Tsunayoshi would finally submit to him. After all, unbreakable spirits weren't unbreakable when the foundation of their will was destroyed… and Tsunayoshi's foundation was the Family he treasured above all else.

And wouldn't it be a nice sight to see Tsunayoshi so utterly destroyed?

* * *

Time passes at a pace entirely too slow when someone you loved was in danger. That was a fact everyone on this jet knew all too well. It felt so wrong to be sitting on your ass while the one you wanted to protect was probably fighting for their life. They had been flying for at least ten hours, sleeping for most of the way, but now they were all awake and agonizingly slowly reaching their destination. Needless to say, each of the professionally trained assassins on this jet were restless, shifting every now and then with anxiety.

Hayato looked at the group and sighed through his nose, flicking his lighter open every now and then and watching the flame dance about. "Pray tell, I wish you'd stop doing that." Chikusa said flicking up his glasses. His fingers trailed over the cool metal of his yo-yos, the appendages catching the needles every now and then as he applied his preferred poison—it metabolizes faster than anything else on the planet and even worked against people who had Dying Will flames since it used his Rain element as a base. They would only be killing today. No one would be left alive.

"Maybe I should light you on fire instead." Hayato quipped, eyes flashing with playful anger.

"Ken, pyromaniacs are just as bad as you and your blood fetish."

"What was that, Kakipii!?" The feral blonde demanded, his amber-brown eyes flashing.

"I pride myself in my pyromaniacism."

"Is that even a word?" Takeshi asked, grinning.

"Shut up, sword-freak!" Hayato snapped, eyes flaring.

Squalo smirked; he knew what they were doing. They were attempting to distract themselves—and everyone else on the jet… and it was working. Under normal circumstances, this would have annoyed him but for some reason, he couldn't bring himself to snap at them for acting childish on their way to a mission. "Voii… are you always this rowdy before a mission or are you just hyped up because we're here?" Squalo asked, grinning a shark-like grin.

"Tch, don't flatter yourself." Hayato grouched, looking away.

"I'm surrounded by morons." Viper droned.

"I know the feeling," Reborn said with mock sympathy.

"What was that?!" Hayato, Squalo and Ken snapped at the same time at the two Arcobaleno.

"Mou, Squalo, you have to consider your health. You can't get so riled up all the time. It'd be a shame to see a hot body like yours as still as a corpse…" Lussuria trailed off, hearts appearing in his eyes at the—censored—thoughts that ran through his mind.

"You're sick." Levi remarked, eyeing the necrophiliac with disgust.

"You're just jealous because your victims turn out looking like charred sausage." Lussuria said haughtily sounding very much like a high school mean-girl. Levi twitched in response and Squalo snickered. Hayato and Chikusa shared knowing looks—plan was a success… no matter how demented the conversation turned in the end.

"Sneaky," Chrome murmured her shoulder pressing against Hayato who smirked smugly. It came as a surprise to the Varia that he made no move to shove her away.

"Voii, are you two dating or something?" Squalo blurted. He had to know.

"Hm?" Chrome looked up at him through her lone violet eye. "No. Our elements correspond." She shifted so that she was closer to Hayato who rolled his eyes at her purely territorial move.

"Careful, Chrome, you're starting to appear like Mukuro." Hayato warned teasingly.

"What do you mean your elements correspond?" Mammon asked, drawing the attention back to the subject that the Varia was all dying to know.

"The protective Mist cannot be swayed by the Storm's passion but they can become one." Chrome said cryptically.

"Kinky," Lussuria hummed. "I mean, if you're into women at least."

"It's not as sexual as it sounds…" Hayato smirked suddenly and Chrome felt her cheeks warming with a real blush. "…but it can be."

"Are you propositioning my mate?" Ken snarled with mock-ferocity.

"Possessive as ever, dog." Chikusa said in his usual soft-spoken drawl of sarcasm.

As they bickered, Reborn was left to mull in his thoughts. Viper inclined her head before smiling like the serpent she was named after and sat down next to her fellow Arcobaleno. "I've placed a silencing illusion around us. Squalo knows not to let them draw near us." Reborn knew that was her speak for 'tell me why you are sulking or I'll send you to the third level of hell for making me worried' but in a much gentler manner.

"I already got bitched out by Colonnello so if it's all the same, I'll pass on getting lectured all the same." Reborn snapped back with more hostility than intended. "I already know what's wrong I just don't know how to go about solving it."

"You know, fortune telling has its grace and while normally I charge for such things, I wouldn't mind looking into yours." Viper said, pulling her hood off and holding out her hand—a silent invitation.

Reborn weighed his options… the last time she read into the possibilities, she had saved his life from a near-fatal shot to the heart and it was before they became associated with the Arcobaleno. Well… what could it hurt? He moved so that he was facing her and she let her claw like fingers drift over his flesh.

"An interesting reaction," She mused. "Your spirit guide is angry with you." His spirit guide was a raven if he recalled correctly. She had told him that once before when they had to collaborate for a team-building mission on the astral plane, he had to keep the black bird in sight at all times lest he be lost to the sands of time. "You've been bottling up your frustrations again."

"It comes with the territory of being a hitman. You know that better than anyone else." Reborn said calmly before he could stop it. He knew it to be the work of one of the psychic's charms.

"Luce was always good at getting you to talk and Tsunayoshi is starting to inherit that talent as well." Viper cut sharply, her words slashing at his will. She knew just which strings to cut and it left him in a vulnerable position. "Admit it, Reborn, you're in love with the boy."

Reborn froze solid. In love? With Tsunayoshi? Of all the preposterous things… instead of replying violently like he would have done if Viper were a man, he stared at her for a few moments before speaking. "I always knew you were a quack."

Viper laughed, her musical voice ringing through the plane and causing Squalo to look at her curiously as the silencing charm had faded away. "Call me what you like but you cannot run from the truth. Instead of pestering the boy about his twin Mists, rule by his side and allow yourself to fall to his will." Viper leaned in close, the marks on her cheeks extending in length. "It may not be all that unbearable to lose control while you're with him, hm?"

Lose control…

Somehow, Reborn couldn't bring himself to be afraid of doing that anymore.

* * *

Pain was the first thing that Tsuna registered in his mind but he forced his flame to sooth throbbing sting by numbing his nerves. It was a dangerous thing to do considering he wouldn't be able to feel it when he started bleeding again but at the moment, he didn't have much of a choice. Throughout the process of numbing away the pain, Tsuna kept his eyes closed and looked through the veil of his lashes, surveying the room. There were two cameras angled at his position in the corner of the room and the burned corpses of the men he had reduced to melted lumps of flesh were left in the room as well. Xanxus was watching him intently—a gaze he could feel more than he could see—waiting for any signs of him waking up. Making sure his limbs were loose, Tsuna made it appear as if his movements were subconscious and reflexive.

They looked like ordinary twitches—a flicker of a finger, a flutter of his eye-lids or the unintentional curling of his toes—but in reality, they were all a part of his escape strategy. He was lacing the air with the deadlier edge of his Sky Flames. It was excerpt from Xanxus's ability to turn people to stone… only much more fatal to those that inhaled it. It targeted their lungs since they were inhaling the 'spores' of his flame. And what was even better, he could still control it the entire time by the miniscule movements that he had been making. The 'spores' never went anywhere near Xanxus.

Tsuna's eyes snapped open and he moved forward, shaking off the charred remains of what had once been living. His fingers twisted and undid the leather straps tying Xanxus. "Ventilation shaft below the camera…" Tsuna murmured into the restrained assassin's ear.

Xanxus landed on his feet and Tsuna's eyes flickered to the corner where he had located one camera and then to the ground where the vent was—their escape route. Tsuna grabbed the chair in front of the vanity and crammed it against the door. Xanxus flicked small fireballs at the cameras and Tsuna smirked slightly at his show of arrogance, knowing it was his way of getting on the enemy's nerves.

Neither of them spoke—in fear of being overheard by bugs potentially located in the room. Xanxus slid into the vent first and tested the steadiness and Tsuna followed, putting back the metal guard and locking it into place. Xanxus stopped and looked down through the vent with narrowed eyes. Knowing Tsuna would catch on, he forced the vent to open and dropped down soundlessly to the floor with Tsuna landing behind him as he looked around the storage room.

Tsuna stiffened and Xanxus looked at him to see what gauged the reaction when he heard footsteps and laughter outside of the door. Tsuna slipped in-between the bookshelves while Xanxus pulled back a wardrobe and pulled the door so that it was slightly ajar. They both masked their presence and waited until the guards passed...

…and when they did, Tsuna sighed in relief. "Let's go…" Tsuna murmured, motioning for the window.

"You can't fly." Xanxus hissed. "Your injured. You shouldn't even be moving."

"I can't feel it." When fear flashed through Xanxus's eyes, Tsuna hurriedly explained, "I numbed the pain using my flames. I can function normally… until I collapse from blood-loss."

Xanxus weighed his options—if Tsuna collapsed from blood loss, they were fucked… but if they stayed here, they were double fucked since Zarkov seemed to have an act for torturing the people he captured for the hell of it…

Xanxus looked through the storage room silently, weighing his options but Tsuna knew he was stalling. "If you wait too long, Zarkov will find us." Tsuna hissed.

"I know that… let me look, alright?" Xanxus paused when his eyes lingered on a bag they had probably taken from a medical officer of some sorts. Lady Luck had never loved him so much before. Realizing what he was doing, Tsuna sat on the ground and closed his eyes, allowing Xanxus to work over his wound, cauterizing it with his own flame. The patch job was choppy but it would work until their situation was marginally better than the one they were in.

If they could escape it, that is.

_**Tsuzukeru.**_

* * *

Originally there was supposed to be no torture whatsoever but I'm a sadistic bitch so I had to add something. I'll try and update before I leave but I don't know if I can. If I don't, there will be _two_ chapters instead of just one. Read and Review.

Thanks for reading~!


	8. Chapter 8: Untimely Reunion

**_Author's Note_: **Alright! I was in a hype the other night and I couldn't stop writing since I downloaded some Simple Plan and I was hit with a sudden burst of inspiration after having a marathon of Burn Notice which is part of the inspiration for this story if it wasn't obvious already. Thank you for all the lovely reviews and favorites!

Sorry this chapter is so short (under 3,000 words DX) but this will be the last update for _seven whole days!_

* * *

Experience with battlefield medicine may not make you as precise as an E.R. surgeon, but after stitching up a few people under artillery fire, he could handle outside pressure. Combine that with Tsuna's special cocktail of flames that's numbing his nerves and he was set until he collapses from blood loss or exhaustion… whichever came first. "It doesn't look like we've left Krasnoyarsk." Tsuna remarked breathlessly as they stopped in a crevice that branched off of one of the halls. Xanxus looked back at him curiously. "My range is limited with my Synesthesia but from what I can tell, we haven't left Krasnoyarsk." He elaborated.

Synesthesia is known as cross-communication in senses to the civilian race, but for the Mafia it is something entirely different. For starters it was an ability limited to registered sharpshooters but for those that had heightened Vongola Intuition, they could see flames and locations in a distinct hue relating to their element. Tsuna altered the ability to better fit him when he's tracking someone by memorizing their Flamma Wavelength which are the tone or pitch that each person individually has. No two wavelengths are the same.

Flamma Residue—or 'spores' as Tsuna has come to call it—is the remaining presence that someone leaves after someone ignites their flame in a set area. The range of the 'spores' depend on how strong the flame itself is. Only hyper-sensitive Sky users—or people who have a form of Vongola Intuition—can sense these 'spores'.

"We'll talk about why you have a sharpshooter's ability later but for now, I think Zarkov's men just found whatever trap you laid for them." Xanxus said, head snapping up when the alarms sounded overhead. Tsuna smirked inwardly. His ability was a good way for buying time but if Zarkov was as fast as he had made himself out to be, they were screwed double time if they got caught.

Tsuna stepped off of Xanxus's back and slinked through the shadows with practiced ease, blending in seamlessly with Xanxus hot on his tail as they made their way to the first floor. Dealing with a trained operative is like playing chess with a master—something that Tsuna and Xanxus both were at this point in their lives. Dealing with low-life criminals, on the other hand, is like playing checkers with a three-year-old: they like to change the rules and turn the odds in their favor. Luckily for the two Vongola, they knew how to do both.

When the two of them came across the security door, Tsuna felt his eyes flash with fox-like charm. Reborn's words flared once again in his mind and he couldn't stop himself from moving forward to take the spotlight—"_Most commercial security systems use magnetic sensors. When a door opens, it breaks an electrical circuit and triggers the alarm, which means defeating the system is just a matter of keeping a magnet in contact with the sensor._"

Tsuna's eyes scanned the door for any extra traps that Zarkov may have set since everything about him made Tsuna believe that he was one of those very security-conscious people that customized a system with less-visible sensors to alert him for any intruders—or escapees—without letting everyone else know. Since there appeared to be none on this side of the door, Tsuna moved so that his flame ignited and he killed the alarm-switch. When he opened the door, he let his fingers guide over the keypad and press the ones that felt the most worn under his fingers. The lasers blocking the stairway faded away and Tsuna turned back to Xanxus. "We have thirty seconds to get down these stairs." Tsuna said curtly before vaulting over the rail and pulling himself to the platform just below him. Xanxus mimicked his actions and raised an eyebrow at him.

"What if you reopened your wounds?"

"Then I'll worry about that when it comes up. Right now, I want to get the hell out of here so I can get some sleep, a shower and potentially something I can use to chop off Zarkov's di—"

"Yeah, you're in dire need of some sleep…" Xanxus drawled sarcastically before he drew back the door and dragged Tsuna into a supply closet just in time to dodge some thug-looking men.

* * *

In any search-and-rescue operation, you have to balance speed against planning—that was a fact Bianchi knew well. When Hayato stepped off of that plane armed with some of his best gear—including Uri—Bianchi pitied the poor fool who stepped up and messed with the Vongola. "Zarkov hasn't left the city yet." Bel launched into explanation immediately after Hayato glanced at him.

"Raynoldo thinks that he's using the same warehouse that Club Centre is in as his cover-area. I looked into it earlier and his information checked out." Bianchi said, following the Storm Prince's path.

"You don't seem sure." Reborn accused.

"I did some looking in on my own. He's not at the warehouse. He's at one of Demetri's buildings." Bianchi tossed a dossier over to Hayato. "That's the layout of the building. There are four above-ground floors and two below. The top floor is like a penthouse. There is only one stairway and no emergency exits. The windows are all reinforced with bullet-proof glass and a barrier that blocks out all location and communication spells used by illusionists."

"Mukuro-sama did say that someone was blocking him," Chrome allowed. "Boss has never blocked either of us before so it must be an outsider's work."

"Either way, the building is connected to Zarkov." Reborn said evenly. "It's not solid but it's firm enough to walk on. Are we taking this lead?"

"The sooner the better." Hayato replied.

"What's the strategy on this one?" Squalo asked.

"Shoot now, ask questions later. Aim to kill and leave no survivors." Hayato replied, eyes narrowing into slits. Squalo suppressed a shudder at the cruelty promised in his aqua green eyes. "Zarkov's going to regret ever crossing paths with the Vongola."

"What's that boss-instinct telling you this time?" Reborn asked.

"Juudiame's changing the rules and Zarkov hasn't caught on yet." Hayato smirked. "As long as wel don't get caught in their line of fire, the rules will remain the same but once Zarkov catches on, we're going to be left in the dust."

"How will you follow his steps?" Squalo asked.

"You know what they say, don't you? The best way to track a man is to put a woman on the job." A female voice sang through the air. "Tsuna get himself into trouble again?"

"How far along the way are you?"

"Far enough to know that I get to test out my new weapon," Haru sang, her brown eyes dancing with mirth. She was dressed in a pair of short black shorts and a black tube-top. On her left arm she had what looked like an automated armor with long, sharpened razors and perfected for killing. Violent violet cords of flame rolled through it and resembled wires where they were visible. "I want the full story when we're done though and an introduction to the infamous Varia."

"Will do." Hayato said, smirking when the rusty-haired female stepped over to the table. "For now, just follow our lead."

* * *

"Wait, stop here…" Tsuna said suddenly, jerking Xanxus's attention to him. "This hallway leads to one of the only exits."

"So?"

"So we have to make one of our own since if my senses are right we're about to have some proper help." Tsuna scanned the hallway for a moment and smirked wickedly.

The benefit of having a trigger-happy ex-Arcobaleno for a teacher was that he taught you every trick in the improvising book. Combine that with the knowledge that a certain pyromaniac-bomb expert had and Tsuna knew just which household products to combine to let out fatal gasses that could make someone want to evacuate the building as fast as possible. Take ammonia and powdered bleach for example. Pouring the ammonia in a plastic container, Tsuna moved the powdered can of bleach to position above it before stepping back into the shadows and motioned for Xanxus to shoot the container on his mark.

A group of four people were walking through the halls briskly—quite obviously patrolling for the escaped prisoners. Tsuna had positioned the toxic cocktail against a vent so it would quickly spread throughout the building. Those that got out alive were lucky… those that didn't… well, their corpses would make good cover. Xanxus pulled the trigger and one bullet let the barrel of the gun and collided with the container of bleach.

As if cued, the cocktail started smoking and letting out the deadly fumes that would serve as their protection. "Now we run," Tsuna said before inhaling the last wave of fresh air he could get and launching forward into the smoke.

Xanxus followed his actions with professional ease, keeping hot on his heals the entire time. Neither of them stopped until they were three feet away from the exit…

…and a blinding flash followed by a searing sound of screeching froze them in their steps.

A flash-bang grenade temporarily impairs hearing and vision. It makes fighting back or attempting escape futile and dangerous to civilians. Xanxus knew the effect of these all too well. Shooting blindly when you had the heir to the company standing God knows how far away from you was a bad idea but when that person wasn't as weak as he had been the first time someone laid eyes on him, Xanxus knew he would dodge in time.

Bands of mercenaries are a lot like marching bands—take out the guy conducting the operation, and you'll throw everyone out of sync. When you lead by small gestures and intuition, take out the guy controlling the operation and things go to shit for the one who did such an idiotic mistake. "Well, well, well," Zarkov sang, his eyes flashing with irritation and cold indifference. "You played my men like fools. I should have expected nothing less from Vongola." Xanxus blinked to clear his vision and felt his gut twist uncomfortably at the sight of Tsuna in another man's arms with a gun aimed at his head.

"You know," Tsuna said suddenly, his lips lifting into a smirk. "Taking a hostage that has hundreds of men at his disposal is a very bad idea… you know what makes that idea turn into a fatal mistake?"

Zarkov raised an eyebrow, "Humor me."

"When you leave your back exposed to one of the possible entry ways that my men will use to end you." Tsuna flared and expanded his flame, creating a barrier against the oncoming barrage of bullets that soon followed his statement. The glass shattered in a spray around them letting fresh oxygen flow in and blow the toxic fumes away. Xanxus moved as quickly as he would have if he were completely rested in a sudden burst of adrenalin and drove the butt of his gun into Zarkov's face.

Chaos was the only thing Xanxus could think of when he saw his men working with Tsunayoshi's guardians and eliminating Zarkov's band of fools. "I'm starting to think that maybe you're a magnet for trouble, Tsunayoshi." A baritone lull said, his voice amused but still as sharp as steel. Tsuna looked back with a small smirk on his lips.

"Of course I am… I attracted you, didn't I?" Tsuna smirked. "Don't let any of Zarkov's men escape! I want his business completely annihilated!" He turned his attention to the kneeling, restrained, mercenary glaring up at him with hatred. "…and as for you…" Tsuna grabbed a fist full of his hair and yanked his head up. "I think a proper punishment for crossing my path is leaving you at the mercy of my Mist Guardian, wouldn't you agree?"

"What can a little girl do to me?" Zarkov spat.

"Don't underestimate this little girl." Chrome said touching the tip of her trident to his forehead and allowing her flames to flow through him. The Russian mercenary slumped forward and Tsuna raised an eyebrow. "I want to take my time with him. Mukuro-sama also wants to speak with you as soon as you are in dreamscape."

"I deliver the killing blow," Xanxus said curtly, a bloodthirsty look dancing through his eyes. Chrome looked at Tsuna who inclined his head forward—a nod to both statements.

It was a strangely quick affair—ending Zarkov's main branch, that is. Within a few minutes, the entire building was under Vongola's control and Zarkov's men were submitting to the Vongola. But Tsuna knew that things were never that easy. He knew that things always went wrong when they were on top. Because just as he was about to celebrate his win, his vision went black and he was suddenly all too aware of the pain that he had blocked out until now.

And the last thing that he knew was his head colliding with the cold, tile floor.

_**Tsuzukeru.**_

* * *

My word count is so fucking low, it's pathetic... I can hear this chapter screaming for more. Where is my twisted sense of humor when I need it most?

Thanks for reading~!


	9. Chapter 9: Rest or Rendition

**_Author's Note_: **Fucking finally. My brother is an ass, my family's in shambles and honest to God, I cannot wait until I graduate.

* * *

As a hitman, Reborn moved through life unattached, keeping the world at a distance. It was a hard way to live, but there's a cold logic to it—love nothing and nothing he loved can be used against him. Once that rule was violated and that connection is made with someone, the person that uses this lifestyle has just handed his enemies the key to destroying him. When he approached this mission, his usual mentality remained.

But as Reborn watched in horror as Tsuna's eyes rolled into the back of his head and he collapsed to the floor, his blood rapidly pooling beneath him, Reborn couldn't help but feel how his heart thudded against his ribcage unevenly. Without thinking, Leon had launched forward and caught the boy under the appearance of a cot.

"Lussuria!" Xanxus barked, the order evident in his tone. It was clear that Xanxus either had some unfinished business with the young heir or he knew the extent of the damage that was done.

It was a foolish mistake to think that he would have been able to keep going with injuries as harsh as his were—Xanxus was starting to see firsthand what Tsuna's mistake was costing him. Reborn's face twisted and morphed into one of fear and panic before returning to his usual mask of indifference but even in his frantic state, Xanxus knew that Tsuna had seen the hitman's expression.

Lussuria hovered over him, working on his wounds, while Ryohei assisted in every way he could with his lack of knowledge regarding medical treatment. Xanxus could sense the buzz of movement as he assisted loading Tsuna onto a chopper where they would fly to Moscow where the two of them would get proper medical attention since Xanxus wasn't going to deny that he was injured.

It was later that night that Xanxus was standing on the balcony, the air cool, as he looked over the bustling city below.

The sounds of the summer festivals soothed him—it was easy to rest when they had returned to neutral territory but he still felt tired, worn. After seeing Tsuna fall, he had felt an emotion he thought he would never feel again and it exhausted him emotionally.

Fear.

The fear of losing someone he cared about.

'_Fuck… I've got it bad… really bad._' Xanxus thought. '_Four days. I was exposed to that fucking aura of his for four fucking days… and now I'm hooked._' It was the sex. That's what solidified it. He hadn't felt this attached to someone since his brother was killed. He was jerked out his thoughts when his Rain stepped out onto the balcony. "It's good to have you back." Squalo supplied, leaning against the guard-rail of the balcony beside him.

"Good to be back." Xanxus grunted.

"Zarkov confessed to everything. We have the tape that he took of Federico's demise and full front access to every one of his buildings from here to Japan." Squalo said, not wasting any time.

"And the kid?" Xanxus asked.

"Still in surgery. The knife nicked one of his vertebrae and severed three of his veins. Infection also started setting in so they've put him on antibiotics. They want to wait until after he wakes up to start any healing sessions." Squalo trailed off at the end and Xanxus took a steadying breath. "They've changed." He commented offhandedly—or at least attempted to make it sound that way. Xanxus knew that Squalo wanted his opinion on the matter.

"A mini-Don." Xanxus agreed, smirking a bit. "Called him mini-boss a few times and he just about had an aneurism each time."

"Mini-boss?" Squalo repeated. "It fits him, that's for sure."

"I forget, was that a jibe at his height or the fact that he's younger than you?" A sarcastic drawl rang from the foyer that led to the balcony.

"Both." Xanxus replied, turning around to look back at the silver haired bomber and the dark-haired woman standing beside him. His hair was tied back and he had glasses on but he was holding a dossier and the girl was no longer. "That for us?"

"This? It's a copy of Zarkov's statement and since I'm too personally involved in what happened, I'm being removed from the investigation." Hayato took a moment to scowl. "I think that's a bunch of horse shit but for the moment, I'm outranked." He handed Xanxus the folder.

"So you're taking it to the Don's son to have you put back on." Xanxus accused and Hayato looked unrepentant. "Tell me, are all of you this sneaky or is it just you and mini-boss?"

"I don't know... ah…" Hayato trailed off, reaching into his pocket for his cell phone and flipping it open. "Shit…"

"I'll take care of this for you." The woman said suddenly, speaking for the first time. "Make sure to give my future husband a big kiss."

"Yeah, I'll be sure to do that when we get to call Hibari by his first name," Hayato said sarcastically. "Make sure you sign as well otherwise Reborn is going to have my ass." He added before parting ways.

"Haru, right?" Xanxus inquired, handing her the dossier.

"Mmhm..." She hummed in reply, her fingers tracing over her signature before she flipped it closed. "Oh dear, he forgot to deliver that message…" She simpered before shaking her head with obvious fondness. "So forgetful… in regards to Zarkov's execution, your request has been filled out—you are the one who will deliver the final blow. The Ninth has requested that Tsuna watch the interrogation recordings before that happens though. Other than that, the time and date is set for the following evening of Tsuna's witnessing statement whenever it may be."

"When did you come in contact with the Ninth?" Squalo asked.

"While you were being treated I gave the report in your place since you were preoccupied at the time." Haru winked at Squalo teasingly. "Franky sends her regards, by the way."

"Mission report?" Squalo's eyebrows shot up. "And she accepted it from an outsider?"

"Well, I'm not precisely an outsider…" Haru reached into her coat pocket and pulled out a round locket that had Vongola's insignia engraved on the face of it—Xanxus knew that the locket was given to females in place of a pocket watch to the men. She was personally employed by the Don himself… which meant Tsunayoshi had picked her personally. "We're all on the same team… and you looked like you needed a break—even to an outsider." She stepped to the side a bit before her fingers drummed against the folder. "I can assume you already know about the mandatory debriefing in an hour?"

Xanxus turned his crimson eyes to Squalo who's eyes widened a bit. "That's what I was about to tell you." Haru took that opportunity to slip away unnoticed. "Hayato and I have agreed to convince our respective Sky—his words, not mine—to collaborate on this assignment since it appears that it's far from over."

"Zarkov's annihilation?" Xanxus inquired. "Or his mistress' demise?"

"Both… I think…" Squalo trailed off. "Then there's also…" He trailed off again, not wanting to finish his thought.

"Ah…" Xanxus smirked. He knew his Rain's intentions. "You want to see how much that Rain brat has changed."

"Yeah…" Squalo looked down, eyes narrowing a bit. "He was too quiet this entire time and while I have a pretty good grip on Hayato's profile…" He let the unfinished sentence hang, knowing Xanxus heard the unspoken bit. Any good hitman knew how to build a profile of their respectable targets. Squalo had made a profile of Takeshi all those years ago but time changes a lot of things. These kids weren't acting like kids anymore. Now they were acting like Mafiosi—good ones at that.

It was nerve wracking. What had happened to make them change that drastically? Neither assassin knew for sure but they did know that none of the Varia wanted to get on their bad side lest they experience that ruthlessness firsthand.

* * *

When Tsuna woke up, he felt groggy and flushed. "Remind me to kill that bus driver to crashed into me." He groaned to the presence in the room after rolling on his side and resting his forehead against his knees to stave away the nauseating sensation of the entire world tipping.

"That's to be expected after two blood transfusions. Your immune system is depleted. It's probably just a simple case of the flu." Lussuria's motherly tone rang through to his consciousness. "The nausea and soreness aside, how do you feel?"

"Dizzy… very dizzy… and hot."

"No swelling?" Lussuria asked, looking over his charts. "Look up for me, dear, I want to check your sight."

"After the world stops doing flips." Tsuna muttered, slowly coming out of his ball and sitting up. Lussuria flashed a light in his eyes and the brunette held very still, not wanting to go into defense while he was blinded by this light.

"You don't have a concussion… that's good since people with Flames often get the symptoms of a concussion without actually hitting their head. Your reversed fever should fade away within a couple of hours now that your awake and can control the flow of your flames properly again." Lussuria tucked the flashlight back into his pocket. "Now you can have your first healing session to keep your wounds from opening up again."

"Where's Ryo' and Reborn? They usually do healing sessions when I can't…" Tsuna trailed off. "Not that I don't think your capable… I'm just not familiar with your presence…"

"Oh, don't worry about it one bit, Tsu-chan—you don't mind if I call you that, do you?" Lussuria asked. Tsuna had been called worse so he simply shook his head. "Good~! Now, strip. I'll take it easy at first."

"Don't blame me if my body rejects your flame." Tsuna muttered, knowing the gay necrophiliac heard him. The flames were warm against his body and Tsuna took that chance to be a prying little vixen. He closed his eyes and didn't stop the wavelength from being engraved into his mind—he had done it with all of his Guardians, all of the Arcobaleno and most of his unemployed lackeys but now it was the Varia's turn.

As the martial artist's gentle fingers traced over the wound, healing the damage to the nerves and muscles, Tsuna couldn't help but think about the four days he spent in Russia and then the twelve hours he spent under Zarkov's custody. Nothing traumatizing had happened—and no, the molestation didn't count as traumatizing because Hibari Kyoya did things that were ten times more illegal than that to him on the rooftops back in Namimori—but ultimately he had beaten Zarkov and his company down.

But then there was the issue with Sarada Mochizuki/Felicia Calidori. She was a main piece that was going to serve to be problematic later on in life. Tsuna knew a potential predator when he saw one and since she was consensually spreading her legs for him, she was ten times more likely to be actually loyal—but he would need a woman's opinion on the matter. He'd have to ask Haru and Bianchi about it later. Meanwhile, he had to contact Hibari and inquire about how the information was coming along.

"All done~!" Lussuria chimed and Tsuna jolted from his thoughts. "By the time I got to it, your blood already started clotting so there is a scar." Sun Flames could heal and often didn't leave scars but when the blood starts clotting and scabbing over, they can only heal it as much as the body they were healing would allow. After that, Sun Flames started becoming lethal by killing the cells faster than regenerating them.

"It's fine," Tsuna replied. "Not like I don't have any as it stands." He added under his breath. "Thank you for that, Lussuria-san."

"Oh please, call me Luss-nee." Tsuna tried to hide his twitch. "Or just Lussuria, if you must. You make me feel old doing things like that!"

"Geh. I need clothes…" Tsuna grumbled, tugging at the paper-thin gown.

"Figured you'd be awake soon," Xanxus smirked from the doorway and Lussuria got up to leave. "Oh no, don't mind me. I'm just here to pick on mini-boss."

"Don't call me that insufferable nickname." Tsuna hissed with lackluster exasperation.

"But it fits you so well, shorty."

"How good is your healing again, Lussuria? Good enough for me to punt-kick your Sky out the window?" Tsuna said in a sing-song, his eyes flashing mischievously at the slight twitch in Xanxus's stance.

"And I came all this way to deliver some clothes for you. Woe is me." Xanxus said with an all around mocking tone that didn't sound the least bit upset about it. If anything, he sounded amused, possible pleased, that Tsuna had regained his fire. He lifted a bag from his side.

"All is forgiven." Tsuna beamed, snatching the bag greedily and dumping the contents out on the bed. After shoving Lussuria onto the other side of the curtain, Tsuna took that chance to shed the paper gown and put on the silk orange shirt and black slacks. When he was done, he moved the curtain back and started fastening his tie, glancing at his reflection in the window to help.

"Now, Tsu-chan, you can't just dive into work. You need some r&r."

"I forget, does r&r stand for recon and rendition?" Tsuna asked, his eyes flashing innocently as he tilted his head slightly making the older assassin coo. Xanxus felt like he wanted to brush off the sparkles that just dripped onto him because of the all-too-sweet expression.

"This one doesn't do well with rest and relaxation." Reborn drawled from the door. "He's too busy giving out orders."

"Aw, no welcome back for me, Reborn? You're so mean." Tsuna puffed out his cheeks before getting serious. "Since you haven't shot me for making unbecoming expressions, I'm assuming that Hibari has checked in already."

"More than that, he's waiting for our flight back to Italy to give us the full set of information." Reborn smirked a bit. "And then you and I have a conversation to finish."

The flash of anger was searing hot and it took all of Tsuna's restraint to keep his flame from materializing. Instead, he felt the hot scorch of his eyes changing color and took a steadying breath, "I've already said what I want to say. My decision is final."

Reborn's smirk faltered before being replaced into a scowl. "You don't even have a bargaining chip."

"Perhaps you were giving me too much freedom." Tsuna mocked, not at all sounding amused or pleased about the conversation at hand.

"That's not what I meant and you know it." Reborn growled, his eyes narrowing into slits.

"Then what did you mean because I'm obviously missing something here?" Tsuna said just as menacingly. "Watch how fast I can have you shipped off to your next long-term mission the next time you try and interfere with my plans for _my_ Vongola."

"Did we come at a bad time?" Takeshi asked, eyes narrowing as he stepped protectively in front of Tsuna—Hayato mirroring his actions.

"No. Reborn was just leaving." Tsuna said putting up his sweetest, venomous smile.

"I don't think I will now." Reborn said, smirking coldly at Tsuna's icy glare.

"Arrogant prick," Tsuna muttered. Before Reborn could retaliate, Tsuna smiled brightly at Hayato. "Now, we have a flight to arrange since I've had my fair share of Russian territory. I want to go to Italy."

"Florence or Verona?" Hayato asked.

"I have some business at Main HQ before we go to any of the branches." Tsuna replied.

"Sicily it is," Hayato replied, making a mental note to arrange it later.

"Now, regarding Hibari," Tsuna was going to turn to Reborn for answers but Takeshi chimed in, saving him from looking in the hitman's direction. He was still irritated with him.

"He's in Sicily awaiting our arrival. Somehow he predicted that you'd be choosing Main HQ to make an appearance at." Takeshi grinned boyishly. "Not to mock Ryohei but how was your _extreme_ camping trip?"

"It wasn't a freaking vacation, dipshit!" Hayato snapped, reminiscing of his old self.

"Chaos," Xanxus mouthed to Tsuna who nodded in agreement—although if it was a jibe at his Family or an answer to their question he was unsure. Either way, he agreed. "I'll tell you later." Tsuna promised. "Meanwhile, Chrome should probably be relieved of her interrogation duties before Mukuro decides he wants to play. Also, Xanxus, can you—?"

"—shoot him already? I'd be honored." Xanxus drawled sarcastically, a bloodthirsty grin littering his face despite the sarcasm. Tsuna rolled his eyes.

"I meant could you and your Guardians accompany me back to Main Headquarters since I have a feeling my Storm decided to arrange a collaboration assignment behind my back." Tsuna shot an accusing mock-glare at Hayato who didn't look the slightest bit repentant.

Following the exasperation in Tsuna's eyes, the two Skies shared knowing glances and Hayato's brow etched into a frown. He knew that Xanxus and Tsuna would grow to understand one another but he was hoping that it would have happened gradually… not like this. Not this quickly. Not this soon. Takeshi caught his elbow in a discreet action. "You alright?"

"Storm instincts…" Hayato replied vaguely, his aqua eyes never leaving Tsuna as he bickered with the Varia. It had taken him weeks to even begin tolerating Belphegor when he was brought in to give Tsuna lessons on seduction and street drugs about six months before they started traveling on their breaks. His first instinct had been to throttle the Ripper prince but now… he was reluctant to admit that he had grown fond, protective, of Belphegor. Tsuna and the blonde had grown close—like brothers—and now… he was openly accepting Xanxus as well. It scared Hayato to think of the possibilities of what could happen.

Takeshi frowned as different emotions—that he was sure only he and Tsuna could see—flashed through his aqua eyes. He knew Hayato's worries and they were rightly placed but Takeshi couldn't fault Tsuna for being the way he was. As the Rain, he was responsible for washing away people's concern but when their concerns were the same as his, he couldn't quell them unless his Sky assisted… but he was so afraid for Tsuna. Xanxus was a patriot of the worst kind—ones that were willing to betray the Family to protect it.

Reborn wanted to snarl at how easily he had been forgotten. Instead of making more of a scene than usual, he made a silent command for Leon to transform and aimed the little chameleon at the back of Tsuna's head, relishing in the shudder that rolled through him at the familiar sensation. "Forgetting about the killer in the room, Dame-Tsuna?" Reborn taunted, quite obviously unpleased at how easily he was dismissed.

"No. I'm intentionally ignoring you in hopes that you'll go the fuck away." Tsuna said coldly. "But quite obviously I have to make the first move." Tsuna spun around, his foot lashing out to kick the gun away. Reborn leaned back a bit to avoid the blow. "I'll make you a deal, Reborn, since you won't let this go until Mukuro is either dead or in my grasp. When Felicia is dead and I make the final arrangements on my meeting with Vendice, I'll let you in on the secret… there's a condition. You do not hound Verde for knowing and not saying anything, you keep your mouth shut about any of the things you know would be considered Mukuro's vulnerabilities and you start acting like the advisor I want you to be."

"You're one thousand years too early to lecture me." Reborn maligned.

Tsuna knew that this was the part where he could stay silent and submit or he could pursue his point even further. Normally he would have submitted but Tsuna was still angry at Reborn for forcing him out of the house. Luckily, Xanxus decided that this would be a good point to intervene. "But he did assist in ridding you of that pathetic form you were in before." Xanxus gauged, hoping that the hitman's anger would turn to him instead. Tsunayoshi didn't deserve it even if the reasoning wasn't quite clear.

Reborn felt the tables turn. He had the losing hand now. It would be foolish to pursue this line of argument any further so he simply stated, "I fail to see how this involves you in any way."

"It doesn't but mini-boss here has shown that he has quite the temper." Xanxus said condescendingly, a haughty smirk altering his expression. "If I wasn't aware of your status, I'd have thought you'd be dead already."

"I would never turn my hand on my allies." Tsuna intervened, sensing what Xanxus was intending to do. "Even if some of them deserve it." He added with a childish huff that made Xanxus roll his eyes and Lussuria snicker. Takeshi and Hayato were used to the outrageous actions their childish Sky did so showed no outward reaction.

Reborn's aura shifted and he looked at Tsuna levelly, his eyes flashing the same color as his element for a moment and he grabbed Tsuna's wrist, forcing him to stand in front of him and look up. "We're not finished, Tsunayoshi."

"Oh, cry me a river!" Tsuna snapped. "You say we're not finished but I am! Mukuro will be released from Vendicare by my order. You tell me you want me to make my own decisions but when I do, all you have to say about them is criticism that isn't even constructive!" Reborn tensed, expecting an attack but it never came. Instead, Tsuna continued his verbal assault. "Maybe if you weren't so caught up in your self-pitying world you'd have time to see the demons that have overrun mine! Now let me go!" Tsuna struggled against Reborn for a moment before snapping again. "I said… let. Me. Go!" He finalized the statement with a solid kick aimed at Reborn's arm, intending to shatter his forearm if he didn't do as he asked, before landing in a crouch. "You call Mukuro a criminal, a parasite… but it's not Mukuro you truly hate is it? It's how similar the two of you are… after all, of all the outsiders you've interacted with, Mukuro of all people can understand the easiest out of all of us just what it feels like to be trapped within his own body."

With nothing else to say, Tsuna brushed passed the group of stunned Mafiosi and left them in their astonishment—after all, he had finally made his point…

And Reborn caught the message. Loud and clear.

_**Tsuzukeru.**_

* * *

There's some love-hate R27 for you. Expect more R27 now that Tsuna's back in play. Sorry for the late delay. My house has been without internet and my brother hogs the only computer in the house that has prepaid wireless access from my homestudies program.

Thanks for reading~!


	10. Chapter 10: Breaking Point

**_Author's Note_: **In case you guys didn't know, the reason Reborn doesn't like Mukuro is because of the fact that Mukuro exemplifies Reborn's self-loathing. The Mist element is known for being trapped in their own bodies—even more so for Mukuro since he's imprisoned in Vendicare—and that's what the Arcobaleno experienced for decades. Remember, Reborn is being vulnerable since Mukuro's release is like the curse being lifted all over again.

Also, **_Metue_,**pointed out something that isn't quite correct. You said that the summary doesn't fit the story—it does for the first Arc but after that, it kind of trails off into something entirely different and there's only what? 132 characters to use? Apparently, I am also inept at writing stories that revolve mainly around one story (that's not me guilt tripping you. That's me criticizing my inability to follow the plot I've set) and even more so, I suck at writing summaries.

And _**Hell Changer**_, what I mean by AU is that after the Future Arc, it branches off into its own sort of timeline. Shimon obviously doesn't play a roll and the Arcobaleno Arc (fucking rip off-arc, by the way) is addressed in a different way.

So for those of you that don't know, this is Post-Future, Pre-Shimon and it is four years after Reborn arrived at the Sawada Household which would make Tsuna seventeen.

* * *

Italy had become like a second home to Tsuna. After seeing it through the memories that were engraved in the Rings and again when Reborn started their overseas traveling, Tsuna could honestly say that the warm, European country had grown on him. He wouldn't mind settling down here one day after his business with the Vongola was done and the darkness surrounding the Mafia was eradicated. The moment he stepped on the plane, the young Sky Guardian wanted nothing more than to do a happy dance all the way to the limo—any weariness from the flight forgotten. Even though the flight was only eight hours, it was obvious everyone felt wary after the flight.

But, like Tsuna, any weariness they felt was immediately washed away by the sound of jumbled Italian murmurs and earthy tones that met their range of view. Hayato wanted to roll his eyes at his Sky's over-zealous behavior but couldn't help but smile at the truly happy lift to Tsuna's lips. "Good evening, Decimo," Their driver greeted. He was an average appearing man with black hair, a fuzzy mustache and the common black-suit-and-tie appearance.

"Good evening, Druitt," Tsuna greeted with a warm smile.

"Francesca sends her regards, Master Xanxus." The man, Druitt, added, looking up at the volatile Varia leader after opening the door for the group. Xanxus nodded in acknowledgement before sitting down next to Tsuna. Druitt's voice trailed through the back of the car through the intercom. "Where to, Decimo?"

"Main Headquarters, please." Tsuna replied, leaning back in his seat.

"Hmph. I would have thought the special treatment would be too much for you to handle." Levi spoke for the first time since they got off the plane.

"It was… but I quickly got used to it." Tsuna reached for the glass of wine Xanxus handed him. It was at least a hour's drive to Vongola Manor so they figured they could indulge themselves. "Especially since I realized some of the secretaries are obsessed with cooking sweets."

"He's got a sweet tooth from hell." Takeshi put in, grinning cheerfully.

"Good. Then he'll fit in just fine." Squalo smirked. "You should stop by the Varia's wing ever third Saturday of the month… you'd love the spread Lussuria makes."

"If you can hold your liquor that is," Levi added. "No lightweights allowed."

"That won't be a problem for you, eh, Vongola?" Ken teased.

"I don't drink if I can avoid it." Tsuna deadpanned. "A glass of wine, however, doesn't count." To add to his point, he swirled his glass thoughtfully.

Reborn smirked, "That's because he's a dominating drunk."

Tsuna's eyes widened and his cheeks flushed. "Nothing of the sort. I just get a little hard to control." Tsuna said dismissively, glaring at Reborn for emphasis.

"Oh, spare me." Hayato rolled his eyes. "Gunplay and knifeplay can hardly be considered kinks when you're drunk… let's see if I remember correctly… 'all part of the game', right?"

"Oh? Taking a page from my book now, King?" Bel asked teasingly.

"Bel, if you value any of the blood in your body, you'll drop this line of conversation immediately." Tsuna said shortly, his eyes narrowing teasingly. "Because I'll show you just how far your little lessons have come." Bel made a choking sound and Tsuna smirked rather smugly.

"There's one thing I don't get…" Viper said coolly, cutting into the bright aura of the room and shattering it instantaneously. "When I went with Bel the first time, you still held an air of naïveté. You didn't kill… this is quite a drastic change from then. What betrayal has cut your strings, Vongola?"

Tsuna's eyes were shaded out for a moment before an agonized smile teased at his lips. Images—"_Kyoko-chan!_"—"_I love you, Tsu-kun…_"—"_You… you monster…_"—threatened to split his mind, to shatter his Will, but he wouldn't allow it. He had to remain strong. "Wounds that don't have proper time to heal are left to be torn open again and again. Derive from that what you will but I don't trust you enough to let you in on my personal life."

Xanxus's eyes narrowed and darkened a shade. He didn't need Vongola Intuition to know that the boy had been betrayed before. Guilt, regret, anger and other various mixtures all ranging from murderous to anguish burned into the expressions of the Guardians while Reborn looked out the window with cold indifference. He had noticed it before when he looked into the boy's eyes but didn't venture onto uncharted territory. Even Haru looked enraged, betrayed. Was it a common acquaintance? No… these emotions were too deep from simply a common acquaintance. This was someone close to them—a relative of one of them.

"We just had to rough it in the Russian wilderness… if I haven't earned your trust after that then you are one hard mother fucker to please." Xanxus drawled sarcastically. That seemed to have done the trick because the solemn aura of the room vanished and Tsuna was left smiling like the vixen he was.

"Only if the one who is trying to please me is one that I don't particular tolerate."

"Is that your way of saying politely that you hate their guts?" Squalo asked, smirking despite himself.

"Good sharky, you're picking up on my dispositions rather quickly." Tsuna beamed. "Xanxus, I want to steal your Rain."

"Aw. Am I being replaced?" Takeshi asked, grinning as usual.

"No one can replace _my_ Rain…" Tsuna's eyes flashed possessively for a moment before dimming back to normal. "But I'll take yours on the weekend and you can have him the rest of the time."

Xanxus snorted. "Not likely. He's mine."

"What are we, objects?" Squalo deadpanned.

"Doesn't it make you feel loved?" Hayato asked sarcastically.

"Boss is very possessive." Chrome added sagely.

"They both are." Bel said amusedly.

Squalo frowned a bit—he had seen Xanxus go into his Sky Guardian/Boss Mode before but he hadn't seen two of the same interact. Even when Dino and Xanxus spoke to each other in the halls while they were in high school… it hadn't been like this. Tsuna looked up and caught his gaze. "You know when you see a puzzle you can't solve you make funny expressions?" Tsuna asked, smiling slightly and the incredulous expression the prideful shark sent him. "I sensed-more-than-saw the way you kept looking at me like you were trying to solve a puzzle on the plane and you started doing it again." Tsuna leaned into his palm. "If you're curious about something, be blunt."

Squalo's blue-grey eyes widened slightly before narrowing. "Trying to figure you out…"

"Yeah… I caught that. How's that working for you?"

"Not very well. Care to give me a few pointers?"

Tsuna looked thoughtful for a moment, twisting a silken lock around his finger. "That's a hard one." He finally said. "But, I guess I can offer you this. When I accept someone completely, they are mine as I am theirs and I will kill to keep it that way… unless they betray me in a way that only they can in their respective position."

"What happens when that happens?" Levi asked, curious.

Tsuna simpered cryptically, his eyes lightening a few shades before looking out the window. They were just pulling into the gate of the mansion. "Decimo, we have arrived to your destination."

"Thank you, Druitt." Tsuna replied through the intercom. Now, they had a debriefing to attend.

* * *

The hallways were buzzing with energy as usual and the two Skies were greeted with various greetings all ranging from "Welcome back" to curt nods—each one Tsuna returned with a warm smile or a nod of his own. Xanxus simply grunted in acknowledgement, much to Tsuna's displeasure.

When they arrived at the main office, Tsuna knocked twice before stepping in. "I thought I sensed a familiar presence." Timoteo greeted. "Tsunayoshi, Reborn, welcome back."

"Timoteo," Reborn greeted, inclining his head. Tsuna's expression softened as he took his spot next to the Ninth Don.

"I heard you had quite the ordeal."

Tsuna's eyes turned serene. "You don't know the half of it."

"Then do tell us." Coyote said, leaning on his intertwined fingers. "Kyoya, here, was just informing us about your whereabouts."

Not having to be told twice, Tsuna and Xanxus quickly launched into explanation. After skimming over the part where he had gotten into an argument regarding Mukuro's release with Reborn, he explained how he knew what to say and how to get the message through—even though he was winging it for most of it. Then he explained that he had found one of the buildings and almost got his neck snapped by an unconscious Xanxus—who pointedly told him that he should have known better to try and wake a sleeping assassin.

When he was finished, Hibari smirked—quite obviously pleased at how well his Sky had done. "Wao… you've sharpened your claws again, Tsunayoshi."

"Meow," Tsuna purred teasingly. "Before we get into this whole debriefing, I ask that my Guardians remain on the investigation."

"Granted." Timoteo didn't even have to think about the request. It had been a precaution that was a part of the protocol that they usually followed but he could tell that this would not be up for debate—besides, they had something more important to worry about. "Next question?" The Ninth inquired.

"Thanks for reminding me… why wasn't I informed about Sarada Mochizuki's appearance on Japanese soil? She's a high risk assassin and an enemy of the Vongola that I ordered tabs to be kept on." Like an annoyance that didn't know how to separate his family and the Family.

"You mean the informants never sent you the information?" Nougat asked. "How unusual…"

"Did you go through my usual line of communication?" Tsuna asked. "There's a reason I have that line set up."

"It was too risky. Iemitsu said that your line of information had a leak—"

_Snap_.

Cracks appeared in the table where Tsuna's fingers dug into the wood. "He did what?" His voice was deceptively calm. "Need I remind you _who it is_ that's delivering the information to me personally? I fail to see how Verde is a leak." Iemitsu had become a thorn in Tsuna's side as of late. Even though Timoteo insisted that Iemitsu hadn't changed, Tsuna knew the truth. The alteration had been slight, almost unnoticeable to those that were constantly in his presence but Tsuna never had that (so-called) luxury. He noticed how haughty Iemitsu had gotten and it was beginning to irritate him.

"Don Gesso's right hand is invol—" Coyote was cut off, just as Nougat had been.

Apparently Iemitsu wasn't the only one who needed to learn their place.

"Shoichi Irie is not an enemy of the Vongola!" Tsuna snapped. "I have some choice words for that bastard. I want him here, _now_."

"Tsuna," Reborn said coolly. "Iemitsu has every right to be untrusting towards both Verde and Irie."

"But not towards those I pick _personally_." Tsuna said in a deceptively calm tone. "Verde is not an enemy. He is sworn under the Omertà and Byakuran was converted after his defeat by my hand ten years in the future. You know that as well as I do. God, I swear! The moment the coronation is done and over with, I'm going to kick his ass out of the Mafia for good." Tsuna took a shuddering breath. "Never mind that. Hibari, just inform me of what you've found before I decide to kill him instead of firing him." Everyone knew Tsuna would never do that kind of thing. It was illogical, impossible even, but they were said nonetheless.

"Tsunayoshi," Timoteo said warningly, reminding Xanxus of when he went into 'dad-mode' with him when he and Enrico fought. Tsuna's amber eyes flashed up at him but Timoteo remained firm. "Iemitsu deserves respect."

"No, you deserve respect. The only thing Iemitsu deserves is my foot up his—"

"Tsunayoshi!" Reborn growled, his voice raising only a bit but enough to make Tsuna flinch.

"Forgive me. I spoke out of term." Tsuna said, averting his eyes but not sounding the least bit sincere in his words. Why was it he became so impulsive when it came to his father?

Xanxus felt his Guardians shift behind him but paid them no mind. Instead, he was looking at Tsunayoshi's Guardians and the various reactions—indifference, calm calculation, concern and mutual anger. It was all there. Xanxus knew that Iemitsu had done something to cause a rift between him and his son but he didn't think it would be this bad. It was clear that Tsuna wanted nothing more than to deck his father in the face with a flame-infused fist.

None of the Varia spoke—it wasn't their place. This was clearly a familial issue at this point and they weren't at that level yet. Hibari, obviously not wanting to remain on this subject, slid a dossier over to Tsuna. "That's all of the information I picked up. Aliases, various signatures she has used for each of her aliases, enemies that have put out hits on her and past involvement in ongoing cases involving the Alliance."

"She's good at not leaving a paper trail." Tsuna commented, putting the file on the overhead-projector for everyone's view. "Hm? What's this?" Tsuna flipped open the last page and his eyebrows shot up. "Hibari Kyoya, have I ever told you that I love you undeniably?"

"No but when you say things like that it makes me feel good." Hibari smirked.

"Seejah Petrovsky and Sarah Raisen are freelance assassins that have been on my list of wary for quite some time. Both of them were reported as Volkov's escorts when he was still a rookie—according to Bianchi's case file—and both names are recorded as Felicia's aliases."

"Before I gave him that scar on the side of his face," Bianchi emphasized as she slipped into a seat at the table. "Both of them were names on my list but I couldn't complete the hit because the Don I was working for was assassinated after he transferred the final funds."

"Strangled from behind with a wire," Tsuna nodded. "That's Seejah Petrovsky's signature."

"What were they escorting Volkov to?" Ryohei asked.

"A company gathering for one Freeta's Lace and Linens Incorporations..." Tsuna blinked before snorting. "Am I the only one who finds that pathetic?"

"You're trained to read underneath the basics, Dame-Tsuna." Reborn commented. "While we can see it clearly, civilians can't."

Freeta's Lace and Linens Incorporations is a pun of sorts. If you take the 'p' and rotate it 90 degrees, it becomes a lowercase 'd' in the English alphabet. Take the 's' off of the end of the name and rearrange the letters, you get Freelance Assassin Corporation. A company ball meant a gathering of every hirable gun from America to Switzerland in one place. It was every Don's dream when they wanted someone dead. It was also a high risk time period for heirs of more prestigious Families like Cavallone and Vongola.

"And the next gathering is in two weeks," Bianchi commented.

"Mm, that might serve to be problematic." Chikusa mused.

"So how do we track her?" Tsuna asked. "I mean, reconnaissance is the way to go but I highly doubt you'll let me go in alone considering the high risk individuals at this secluded hotel."

"Damn straight you won't be going alone." Xanxus said flatly.

Tsuna hummed in thought and Reborn raised an eyebrow. "Nondescript as you may be, Tsuna, these kind of gatherings have been in play since before I became an Arcobaleno—since before I joined forces with the Vongola."

Tsuna paused in his movements, "How hard is it to get into these kind of things?"

"Very." It was Squalo who answered. "Invitation only and you have to be accompanied by an escort… or two."

"I take it you've been to them before?" Tsuna asked.

"With an old friend from High School. I can get an invite from her if she hasn't settled down yet." Squalo paused. "Getting in isn't the problem for us. It's getting out. These places are reinforced for the assassin's benefit… that means guns under the tables, high security, fingerprint registration, infrared sensors, Mist resistant cameras—the whole shebang. Dons aren't allowed in and assassins aren't allowed out in large groups."

"How's the record keeping?"

"Pretty shitty since they never remember faces." Squalo admitted. "This place is an information swap. If you have a Don you want doin' the twist, this is the place to get the information on him."

"A Don you want dead, hm?" Tsuna smirked.

"Fuck no." Xanxus and Hayato growled.

"What?!" Tsuna squawked. "I wasn't planning anything!"

"Come on, mini-boss, even I don't buy that shit." Squalo deadpanned.

"Vongola is a horrible liar." Chikusa agreed.

"Bite me, yoyo-boy." Tsuna stuck his tongue out at the cynical assassin. "Think about it, though. What better way to draw attention than offer information on the mysterious Vongola Decimo?" Tsuna asked. "It doesn't even have to be legit—a fake location and we can use the alias I used to deliver the message to Hayato."

"On one condition," Timoteo said after a moment's consideration. "Reborn goes with you."

Tsuna and Reborn both tensed. "Field work so soon? I thought you said you didn't want me getting involved in anything Tsunayoshi did until after the coronation."

"This will be the only exception."

"You say like I've already decided." Tsuna finally said. "If it's all the same, I'd rather have someone from the Varia with me instead."

"Doubting my abilities, Dame-Tsuna?" Reborn asked.

"No but I'm still heated about our argument from before." Tsuna said carefully. "And the one time it comes up, I'm going to send you through the nearest wall." Not wanting to pursue this line of conversation any further, Tsuna looked back at the Ninth. "Can I switch out?"

"You'll be removed from the mission entirely." Timoteo threatened.

Tsuna opened his mouth before closing it and slumping forward. "How soon can the preparations be over with?"

* * *

"You know the basics of seduction. Combine that with dancing and passion and the rest of it is winging it from there." Reborn pulled Tsuna close. "Now seduce me." '_And pray to whatever other worldly deity that's watching us that I have enough self restraint to keep from ravishing you…_' Reborn completed in his mind.

Currently, they were in Reborn's secluded suite in the mansion. It was hidden and only accessible through a secret passage hidden behind an elegant painting of a raven's silhouette against the setting sun.

Tsuna looked away, his cheeks flushing. '_I know it's Reborn but… he's so… so… so Reborn! How can I do something like that?!_' His eyes widened a bit and something clicked in his mind—his apparent naïveté worked charms against his Guardians… maybe… it could work on Reborn? "Seduce you?" Tsuna asked, tilting his head a bit and causing his hair to bounce with the movement. He made a thoughtful expression, his eyes glazing a bit. He bit on his bottom lip before loosely wrapping his fingers against Reborn's suit.

And then they started to move.

The dance they preformed was a simple one for the Mafia's status—the Viennese Waltz to a sped up version of Metsäkukkia. On this mission they would be posing as newly married freelance hired guns Seejah Raisen and Aaron Rasien. Tsuna would be wearing a black, curled wig and hazel green contacts while Reborn would be wearing blue contacts and slicking back his hair a bit. Squalo had already gotten the invitations from his lady friend and the identities were being made solid.

In the beginning, Tsuna had put up some fight at playing the woman's role—never mind the fact that he would be in Reborn's presence alone for the first time since their argument that resulted in his wild-ride in Russia—considering his voice would crack whenever he tried to reach a certain pitch above his range but that would be an obstacle easily overcome by a necklace Tsuna would be wearing that would be modified to alter the sound of his voice. He would also be wearing a dress that disguised his lack of curves where necessary.

Ugh. This would be so much easier if Mukuro was here. That way he wouldn't have to go through all this trouble.

"Your thoughts are clear in your eyes." Reborn said, stopping their dance and Tsuna stumbled a bit at the abrupt stop. "If you're going to space out and think about that Rokudo Mukuro, let me know when you are finished so we can actually practice."

Tsuna took in a shuddering breath. "What do you have against Mukuro? Is it truly because you and he are more similar than you want to admit?"

"He's a criminal."

"So am I… and so are you for that matter." Tsuna accused.

"That's not the same. He was arrested by Vendice, Tsuna." Reborn said shortly. "Vendice are the Mafia's police… any sane person fears and respects their iron fist!" He grabbed Tsuna's shoulder.

"I don't care!" Tsuna snapped, spinning around and smacking away Reborn's hand rather violently. "Mukuro is **_mine!_**"

"And **_you _**are**_ mine!_**" Reborn snarled and Tsuna's eyes widened. The last of his control shattered and Tsuna was let bewildered at the declaration. Reborn took that chance to press his lips angrily against Tsuna's and the boy's astonishment changed, morphing into scandalized aggression and anger. How _dare_ he say that to him! First he insults his manipulating Mist and now he dares to say that _he_ was _his_? That bastard! As Tsuna's thoughts raced, his anger molded into passion and before he knew it, his fingers were trailing through the spiky locks that stood up against his palm and he was kissing back with as much fiery urgency as Reborn. The small brunette moaned into the kiss, arching much like a cat into his tutor's touch.

Reborn pulled back on Tsuna's hair, forcing his throat to bare before nipping sharply leaving angry signatures on his throat. If Tsuna wouldn't submit, he would force him to submit. Tsuna's grip tightened on his hair before roughly initiating another kiss. Tsuna made a sound that was a cross between a scream and a gasp and Reborn's control strained even further as they slid into the bedroom where Reborn forced Tsuna's hands above his head and ground their hips together violently, forcing friction to meet between their legs.

Frantically, they scrambled to get out of their clothes, to explore foreign limbs and map out spots that elicited certain desired reactions and soon enough, the two of them were on the bed, hot and too aroused to think straight.

_Nonononononono_… this wasn't happening! He couldn't stop anymore. Here Tsuna was but he hadn't given the go ahead.

_But he didn't pull away either_—the traitorous beast snarled from the back of his mind. _Just go on with it. Devour him!_ Reborn pulled back and was suddenly aware of how breathless Tsuna was. His eyes were glazed and glowing eerily with lust. His lips were swollen and slightly parted. His cheeks flared with color and all Reborn could see was pure arousal in that gaze… but it vanished in a flash, replaced by a moment of panic and fear.

It infuriated Reborn.

But just as quickly as that panic and fear had appeared, it morphed into something that made Reborn's mind race and blood boil all at once—determination. Tsuna wrapped his legs around Reborn's waist and flipped their positions. "Oh no, hitman, if we're going to do this… we're doing it _my_ way." Tsuna purred, his eyes glowing in the silvery moonlight that filled the room—they had been practicing for hours and the sun had long-since set.

Reborn paused, at a loss. "What are you pla—_ah_—" Reborn bit down on his lip to keep the groan from tearing from his throat when Tsuna's fingers danced over his aching hard-on through his slacks before pulling down the zipper and hem until his cock sprang free of its restraints. A shudder tore painfully through his lean body when Tsunayoshi ran his tongue, curiously, over the length and then his _teeth_—gently (almost as if they weren't touching it at all) but provocatively—over the moistened member before he slipped the throbbing appendage into his mouth.

_Oh God_, that tongue of his was doing things to his body that should have never been done. Tsuna continued to suck and prod at Reborn, lathering in the taste and texture. How was it possible for someone to taste so addicting? The sound of Reborn's restraints snapping should have been audible when Tsuna's glazed eyes flickered up to him.

A shuddering groan fell past Reborn's lips and a jolt ran through Tsuna—an electrical current of pleasure—and he no longer felt the spark of dominating determination. But… if he was going to submit to Reborn, he was going to see just how much anger could affect passion. It took a bit to get used to since Reborn was… well, to put it bluntly, quite large but once he had, he could take him whole. Tsuna couldn't stifle the moan that tore from his throat when Reborn's fingers twisted in his hair and with a strangle gasp that sounded like his name, slurred beyond comprehension, Tsuna felt hot, salty liquid fill his mouth and, for a moment, was at a loss.

Should he pull away? But then wouldn't that be like making a fuss? Before he realized what he was doing he had started to swallow, the liquid running down his throat and pulling Reborn's still solid member further as to not let any spill. Tsuna's eyes widened when he was grabbed around the waist after finishing, '_If… I let him do this…_' He thought as Reborn pulled him onto his lap. '_…I don't know what will happen._' "Wai—Reborn! Th-that's… nngh…" The smaller boy moaned as Reborn's fingers spread him, prepared him for what was to come. Tsuna clung to him, holding onto the hitman and rolling his hips back against the head of Reborn's cock. Immediately, his body attempted to reject the intrusion—still unused to the sensation even though it was no longer foreign—and Reborn's restraint was further strained beyond his limits. He wanted nothing more than to lose himself in Tsunayoshi's heat.

Reborn wanted to watch him as he came. If only Tsuna could see that. He had forgotten what it felt like to give pleasure as well as receive it. It was so intense—it almost made his lust violent, animalistic. Both of them were slicked with sweat and for once, Reborn couldn't focus solely on the sound of Tsuna's ragged breathing or the pain that Tsuna's nails were giving him. His senses were expanded to their full capability and if he just jerked his hips upright at the same time he pulled Tsuna down…

The sound of his control snapping was as audible as the sound of a cracking whip when he forces Tsuna down and snaps his hips up to meet Tsuna's… and immediately Reborn's overwhelmed with the feeling of Tsuna's body contracting, trembling, shivering… he's aware of Tsuna's blunt teeth biting down on his shoulder, of the brunette's nails digging into his flesh and the painful ecstasy that overwhelmed Tsuna's expression.

Reborn groans with each vigorous roll of Tsuna's hips, each twitch, shudder and spasm that causes their bodies to react in ways that should be considered illegal. Reborn lifts Tsuna up off of his cock and forces him back down, reaching deep inside of him and slamming into his prostate which causes blotches of white noise to burn away at Tsuna's consciousness. Their minds went blank, dimming into nothing at each yearning sound—_harder _and _more_ and yes, yes, _yes_!— and every searing movement.

Reborn felt Tsuna's release, his body clenching down around the engorged member still buried inside of his core, and milked it dry. Tsuna whimpered with release, left a shuddering, searing mess of what was supposed to be a Mafia Don. The last of their urgency was being torn away from them—numbing the part of Reborn that longed for this kind of companionship and replacing it with satiation.

'_This… is what I wanted… isn't it?_' Reborn thought after he had cleaned up and brushed Tsuna's wet hair out of his face. The boy had given into the warm darkness after their mind-blowing release and Reborn didn't try and stop him. '_I wanted him to myself… but why does it seem so wrong?_'

Maybe because it was, he thought. He knew Tsuna wasn't his alone… the boy was a Sky after all and that meant he had elements to go along with it.

But Reborn had also seen the way Xanxus looked at Tsuna—protective, possessive and all around longing to touch him. He knew something happened between them and even though Tsuna wasn't an assassin, Xanxus was and that meant that sex was a considerable option for passing the time. Something hot and foreign burned in his gut—he was never jealous of anyone but Tsuna wasn't kind enough to simply allow sex to be initiated because he was afraid of hurting the other by rejecting them. If he wasn't ready, he'd stop it… but how openly he'd flirted with Xanxus… it sickened him, made him burn with something cold and all consuming. Had they done such a thing? It was impossible to tell by reactions alone because Tsuna was a teenage boy after all and hormones could drive people to do some crazy things.

But he wouldn't pry. He was done doing that. He had to trust Tsuna… no matter how hard it would be—and that was the closing thought he had before he pulled Tsuna close to him and lost himself in a true, blissful sleep.

**_Tsuzukeru._**

* * *

So Reborn suspects... but doesn't know for certain. ;p Now you can stop bugging me for more R27. For those of you that bother to read my Author's Notes, I gave you a spoiler for an upcoming section that will be more emotional than anything else.

Thanks for reading~!


	11. Chapter 11: Recon or Relaxation

**_Author's Note_: **I hate life... like seriously. Since I'm pretty sure most of my readers are women (and if there are any straight guys out there that read yaoi, PM me because I'll seriously consider marrying you) I'm going to say the one phrase everyone has thought at least once in their life. I HATE BEING FEMALE! No joke.

I want a cheeseburger... like really fucking bad. And french-fries... and a coke. And a hot fudge sundae. McDonalds is good... or maybe In-n-Out...

Enough of my musings (ramblings), on with the story!

* * *

When Reborn woke up sometime late in the evening, he immediately heard the door do his suite open and then close. An intruder? Reborn tensed, eyes narrowing into slits as he searched for Leon but couldn't pick up the sense that the little chameleon was nearby. Reborn silently made his way to den, as swiftly as the shadows allowed him to go. He didn't need Leon. Reborn was just as lethal with his bare hands as he was his guns. He readied to knock out the intruder but a very familiar green CZ75 1ST pistol was pointed at his face.

"That's not a very nice greeting," Tsuna teased, pulling Leon back and petting his head fondly.

"Where'd you go?" Reborn asked.

"I was checking in with Hayato. When I didn't make it to dinner, he got worried and was about to send Takeshi to look for me in your corner since he's the only one who knows where it is but I wanted to get there before that happened since…" Tsuna trailed off and his eyes swept over Reborn's disheveled state—his hair was messier than normal and he was bare, save for the sheet wrapped around his waist. Reborn smirked, reaching forward and pulling Tsuna against his chest for a searing kiss that made the boy's knees weak.

"In that case, welcome back." Reborn purred, his breath fanning against Tsuna's flesh.

Tsuna snapped out of his haze, "You jerk!"

* * *

"What the hell is _that_?" Tsuna asked, eying the monstrosity lying on his bed with distaste. Two weeks had passed by almost blindingly. With mostly female behavior lessons from Lussuria, Bianchi and Haru's combined efforts and dance instructions courtesy of a certain Sun Arcobaleno—Salsa, Waltz and Tango being the ones that he focused on most—Tsuna was kept busy preparing for their reconnaissance affair.

But right now, he was having a serious internal debate if maybe this was more trouble than it was worth.

"Do you like it?" Lussuria cooed. "I have to say, your girl has _fabulous_ taste in clothes."

The dress was consecutive with ruffles around where his nonexistent breasts would be. They were distracting enough to hide his lack of figure and the notably short hem would make sure that the gazes would be fixed on Tsuna's legs. The dress was a glittering shade of silver as were the boots that went with it. Tsuna was already wearing the colored contacts—which were different from the ones he usually wore for combat, he noticed—and the temporary dye was dry.

"Oh fuck… you introduced him to Haru?" Tsuna asked, horror flashing in his currently green eyes as he looked at Hayato who shot him a sympathetic look. "Just what I need…" Tsuna muttered.

"The key, darling, is not playing the part of a woman. It's acting as if everything is beneath you." Lussuria nodded. "That's a good way to attract a man's attention."

"And some women if they're into that kind of thing." Bianchi agreed. "Flirting indifference, an air of confidence and mutual respect for your lover's boundaries. Most assassin lovers are very possessive of their lovers and will openly try and mark you which means biting, dancing and kissing where visible."

"Reborn, if you bite me, I'll kick you where the sun doesn't shine." Tsuna said just as the Arcobaleno walked in. Reborn was looking unusually bare without his fedora but the messy locks and lack of curly sideburns made him less recognizable. He was wearing his blue contacts as well and his presence was muted. But damn did that hitman look good. He was wearing a black leather jacket and dark grey wash-faded jeans. His belt was accented with electric-blue tiger-strips on a black base color. It brought out his eyes.

"I make no promises." Reborn replied. "You still have yet to change. If you don't hurry, we're going to miss the meeting with Squalo's gal-pal and escort for this evening."

"Ugh!" Tsuna groaned, grabbing the dress and stepping into the attached bathroom to his room. Getting the dress on wasn't the problem… it was getting the zipper up.

"Do you need help, dear?" Lussuria asked.

"Lussuria, I swear on the Vongola's pride, I'm going to kick your ass if you open that door." Tsuna snapped before he could stop himself. This was humiliating!

* * *

For a plan that consisted of selling fake information, Tsuna couldn't help but marvel at the plan he came up with. It was ingenious, really, and if it were anyone else, they would have lost track of the true target already. By using the names Seejah Raisen and Aaron Raisen, Tsuna was sending a message directly to Felicia because they were taking the surname of one and the first name of another. Aaron Lowenthol had been the name of one of Seejah Petrovsky's targets before she vanished into the abyss of the underground and morphing into Sarah Raisen—unknowingly '_fathering_' the alias.

The bases of the plan consisted of using fake information—information that Felicia knew was fake because it was established that she already knew Tsuna's identity even before he was chased through the Russian wilderness—to lure her out and dare them to correct it. By doing that, Tsuna was risking his anonymity as Vongola Decimo—not that it mattered to him anymore—and setting himself up as bait. Information in their line of work was very valuable but more often than not, assassin's found that it's often better to steal secrets than pay for them. It saved money and time and didn't leave a messy paper trail.

Of course, when the information that's being spread is faked, there were also people who knew the truth. If they were enemies, they would step forward and correct the information, offering it at a higher price but when they were allies… they would add to the lies and pitch in their own bit which made it seem all that much more true. Tsuna was depending on the unemployed allies to assist him in his plan because if there was anything he knew best it was that anything involving the Vongola involved people that protected them because they feared them and ones that wanted the reward that came with doing such a thing—sometimes it was protection, other times it was money. Either way, Vongola had followers that weren't employed with them and Tsuna was going to use those assets to his advantage.

But all the same, just because an informer is willing to share the information with a buyer, it didn't always mean that the person buying didn't have an added back-up plan. Just because the informer got a free meal out of the deal doesn't mean that he won't end up with a bullet in his head later on. Buyers usually want to be the only ones that know the information and because of that, Tsuna knew that he had to let himself be ripped off a few times which meant keeping a few doctored photos of a blonde kid with pink eyes standing in front of a convenience store in a crowded city like Shibuya that looked like they were taken from a distance in his bag for the evening.

At the same time, a surveillance photo was like giving someone an entire profile laid out for professionals to see. Surveillance takes planning—sometimes they have to scout the area, sometimes they need a place to sit and wait for an hour...or ten. They need to take care of their bodily functions but most of all, sometimes they need to be seen in order to get that one shot that could be worth a million words—or better yet, a million dollars like say… a father that happened to be renowned as the Young Lion of the Vongola and his secretary, Oregano, embracing the aforementioned child.

"Wow… and I thought I was crafty on my missions." Xanxus mused.

"This is careful?" Tsuna asked. "Reborn shoots at me for doing better jobs than this."

"That's because you always leave your plans open." Reborn countered. "It leaves too much room for an enemy to take his place."

"Yeah but notice, how many times have I had to pick up a stray… or six?" Tsuna asked, his eyes drifting to Xanxus who made a very rude gesture discreetly by scratching his forehead. "Mou! Ninth, Xanxus is propositioning me."

"And I'm supposed to reprimand him how, exactly?" Timoteo asked.

"Uh… spank him?"

Xanxus's crimson eyes widened incredulously while Hayato choked on air. "Yeah fucking right." Xanxus finally managed through his humorously stupefied mind.

"Anyways…" The Ninth stated, drawing their attention back to the mission at hand. "Since you're allowed weapons, I took it upon myself to have this crafted." Timoteo set a dagger on the table and Tsuna looked down at it. The blade was waved but it was clear that it could cut through anything. Around the hilt was a gold snake. At the end of the hilt where the snake's mouth was there was a place that Tsuna's Vongola ring would easily fit and pass as an ornament at a simple glance. "It may serve to be useful."

Tsuna slipped the ring off his finger and put it in the snake's mouth, smiling slightly at how easily it fit. "Thank you."

"We'll also be able to contact you through this." Hayato decided to intervene. Everyone else was already in the ICL (Infiltration Communication Lab) where they would keep in contact with Tsuna directly.

"Overprotective fools," Reborn muttered.

"Not that you're any better." Tsuna shot back accusingly but Reborn didn't look the least bit regretful. The broach and gem on the choker matched—both being ruby with a gold encasement.

"The broach has a camera built in and the chocker doubles over as a voice disguiser. There's a cord that will run through your hair and let us speak with you in case of emergencies." Hayato grabbed the choker and fastened it around his neck before running the cord through his hair and fastening the cuff to Tsuna's earlobe and clipping the gem on. "It's jammer-resistant thanks to Shoichi's top-notch programming."

"Remind me to let Byakuran know of Shoichi's excellent capabilities later." Tsuna smiled like the sly vixen he was. "Or better yet, I'll spike his tea with Absinthe later." Absinthe worked as an aphrodisiac to those that possessed Dying Will Flames since the wormwood used to make it was more compatible with their systems so it didn't cause hallucinations. Tsuna's voice was altered a bit to sound higher—more like what he had before his voice started cracking. He only had to alter his tone to sound like a woman and he could pass as one.

What a blow to his pride…

"Well, well, well… you make a better woman then you do a—"

"Xanxus, I swear on Primo's grave if you finish that sentence I'm duct-taping your dick to a ceiling fan and turning it on full fucking blast!" Tsuna growled—_it was a growl damn it! It was the fucking collar making it sound otherwise!_—and glared at the Varia assassin who's mouth clamped shut. Xanxus looked momentarily mortified at the idea of something so wrong and painful but the expression was gone before it could be fully registered.

"_Wow, Vongola, I didn't know you were that sadistic._" Viper mused over the communication device.

"You'd be pissed too if I call you a man, wouldn't you?" Tsuna shot back.

"_Not really. I prefer it if people don't know my gender._"

"I have a comeback that's almost too much to resist but I think I'll save it until you're not directly in my ear where you could potentially handicap me… or better yet, I'll wait until I'm not even in the same country." Tsuna stood up and strapped the dagger onto the inside of his thigh where the guarder was.

"Are you always this feisty before you go on a mission or is it just because I'm in the room?" Xanxus asked, smirking in amusement at the little Sky's aggression.

"Pent up stress and frustration. He needs to get laid." Hayato drawled sarcastically.

Tsuna's lips curled into a secretive little smirk. "Offering?"

"_Oh yeah. We could go a few times doggy style and call it good. How much does the gay porno industry offer? I think I can catch it on film._"

"Takeshi!" Tsuna squawked. "No propositioning me in front of the Varia." Tsuna paused. "Is Lussuria still breathing?"

"_Yep! But he's passed out on the floor… that might serve to be problematic…_"

'_Even though the atmosphere is warm, why do I feel so cold?_' Tsuna asked. '_It makes me feel... worried… like something is going to go wrong. Why? Is it…?_' Before Tsuna's thoughts could trail any further, Squalo had knocked on the door before striding in. Tsuna took that moment of distraction to cover the concern in his eyes. "You have the invites?"

"Mmhm," Squalo set the envelopes down. "I have one too but I'll be going in alone as back-up."

"I thought you couldn't get in without an escort or a partner." Tsuna frowned.

"You can but you get some funny looks because usually it means that you're waiting for someone or you're looking for a pair to take back to the room." Squalo smirked a bit and Tsuna's eyebrows shot up.

"First your boss propositions me now you do too? Ugh! Assassins are horndogs!" Tsuna exclaimed.

"I take pride in my ability to seduce the population." Reborn replied haughtily.

"_Of course he does. That's why he slept with Fon and Verde before the curse was placed on us._" Viper drawled.

"Reborn slept with Verde?" Tsuna asked, eyes widening. "Of all the inhumanly possibilities, that was amongst the top."

"_Well I slept with Lal so I can't really fault him for that one._" Viper sounded like she was smirking.

"Alright, remind me to get out before I start ravishing my Guardians when hormones go wild." Tsuna drawled.

"_Let's chain him to the desk._" Hibari suggested and various murmurs of agreement were heard in the receiver.

Tsuna's head slumped against the table. "When I retire, I'm going somewhere secluded with a wife and my children with the hopes that none of you ever find me." Before the topic of conversation could get any more demented—_because Lord knows that's what happens in the Vongola_—Tsuna decided that now was a good time to take their leave and arrive 'fashionably' late to the scene.

Now, let the party begin.

* * *

As they stepped out of the car, Tsuna could tell that there were a lot of experienced assassins with Dying Will Flames. It made him even more nervous—it was why he didn't like crowds. Reborn's arm wrapped around his waist and pulled him close, offering him some form of comfort. Lussuria and Bianchi's words rang true to his ears at each of the leers he was getting, disgusting and flattering him all at once—"_ The key, darling, is not playing the part of a woman. It's acting as if everything is beneath you._"—"_Flirting indifference, an air of confidence and mutual respect for your lover's boundaries._"

The ballroom was dressed up as a nightclub—sophisticated and glowing with neon like the ones people saw at the Playboy mansion—with speakers blaring overhead. "_Cell jammer resistant but the music might serve to be problematic._" Hibari commented.

"Are you alright?" Reborn asked, his grip tightening a bit. "You haven't spoken since we left the manor."

"Ask me again in twenty minutes." Tsuna replied, handing his invitation to the guard who winked at him. In response, Tsuna leaned close to Reborn and smirked back at him. Just as he expected, a flash of jealousy flared in the man's eyes, anger overtaking his aura. It was clear that he wanted Tsuna—no, _Seejah_—for himself.

The atmosphere was dark to Tsuna—maybe it was because of the sinister intent practically suffocating him or the way the lights flashed and reflected off of everything. Maybe it was because of the lighting that the aura of the room became suffocating but Tsuna was about ready to bolt when the first assassin approached him. Reborn had lost him in the crowd and this assassin had cruel eyes. His coal eyes swept over Tsuna, eyes narrowed almost leeringly as he regarded his appearance as a woman. He leaned over Tsuna, "Seejah, correct?" He asked, his tenor almost being drowned out over the bass. "Would you like to dance?"

Tsuna's eyes drifted over to where Reborn—or 'Aaron'—was. He couldn't see Reborn through the crowd but gave up searching after a few moments, before smiling coyly at the man in front of him. His mind hadn't stopped racing since they left the mansion and the dark atmosphere wasn't helping things. "Perhaps at a later date."

"Then maybe you'd prefer me as a partner?" A familiar voice inquired.

"_Take the offer. I want to watch this other guy look like he ate something sour._" Xanxus sounded amused.

Not wanting to think twice about it, Tsuna stepped passed both men. "You cannot claim what has already been taken."

"But you appear as alone as anyone else." Squalo leered, his shark-like grin glistening oddly under the flare of the lights. The other assassin was quite obviously unnerved by the display of aggression because he made a quiet escape. Just before he was out of ear-shot, Tsuna smirked quite attractively and inclined his head.

"You know what? I'd love to." Tsuna purred. Just as Xanxus had said, the guy's face puckered and pinched like someone just squeezed sour-salt that tops margaritas into his mouth straight. The back-up communication group's laughter could be heard through the receiver currently stuck to his ear.

Squalo put a hand on his waist, pulling him close as Jem's _I Want You To…_ came on full blast. As the intro played out, Tsuna and Squalo moved in accordance, their bodies forming together in sensual movements. "Xanxus," Tsuna said lowly, his voice disguising under the bass. "I'm assuming that because you're a sharpshooter you can quick snipe in required…"

"_Yeah, why?_" Xanxus asked. Tsuna could almost see him blink and shift his stance at the sudden alteration from '_Seejah_' to _Vongola Decimo_.

"Pretenses…" Tsuna muttered. "Remember our conversation from earlier—about open planning."

"What's got you so worried?" Squalo asked.

"Gut instinct," Tsuna replied.

"_Gut instinct or Vongola Intuition?_" Mukuro's voice cut through startling Tsuna a bit. He almost blew his cover but kept his expression neutral. Squalo, however, paused briefly in his movements. Tsuna almost toppled on top of him but the quick recovery made Tsuna relax as they moved back into smooth but tense movements—all prearranged.

"I've already told you how that works, Mukuro." Tsuna deadpanned, his expression not betraying his distaste. "I won't bother to correct your assumptions."

"_I am so confused right now it's not even funny._" Lussuria complained.

"Maybe if we make it out of this, you'll treat us to an explanation that makes sense." Squalo drawled.

"Maybe." Tsuna shared his sentiments.

"_But why now?_" Takeshi asked.

"Er… about that… I've been… uneasy since we left." Tsuna resisted the urge to rub the ear that the exclamations were made in. "Oh shut up. It's not like you wouldn't do the same in my place."

"_We wouldn't… because you wouldn't let us._" Hayato growled just as menacingly. "_The first thing I'm going to do when you get back is tie you to the desk so you have to learn the calligraphy. The next thing I'm going to do is teach Xanxus how to read your mental state so I'm not the only one who can pick up on those details!_"

"Cry me a river." Tsuna snarled, his expression morphing a bit. "And don't you dare teach him anything. The last thing I need is another nag."

"_I'm not a nag._" Hayato said in one of those haughty-but-sophisticated tones that was completely mocking and made-up. "_I'm an Underboss… which in some cases can be considered the same thing._"

"Kill it before it lays eggs." Tsuna mouthed to Squalo who smirked like the shark he was.

"_What did you say to elicit that expression from him?_" Xanxus asked sounding darkly amused.

"Inside joke and you are on the outside." Tsuna hummed. "Squalo, I'll doctor your pay if you say anything."

"You don't sign my checks." Squalo had to bite the inside of his cheek to keep from laughing at the incredulous expression on Tsuna's face.

"_I so fucking wish I could see his expression right now._" Xanxus said his amusement greater than before.

"Will you morons knock it off?" Reborn growled from the bar. Tsuna almost yelped at the sudden intrusion but bit his tongue to keep any sounds from passing his lips. "It's bad enough with Tweedle Dumb and Tweedle Dumbass doing things I'd never consider doing on a mission—"

"Aw, now that's the biggest load of bullshit if I've ever heard." Tsuna's voice cut in as Squalo and Tsuna moved back to the bar. "You know why? Because I saw that mission you went on with Ottavo's Storm and there was nothing but screwing around."

"You can't hold that over my head. She started it." Reborn clarified. "And besides, it wasn't recon."

"Geh, semantics." Tsuna rolled his eyes, leaning in-between the two on the bar. The icy cold feeling tore at his consciousness but he ignored it for the time being—he was confident in his ability to be alert at the very least—while they enjoyed the mingling sensations of buzzing energy around them.

* * *

"Are you sure I can't stay and—?" Squalo trailed off.

"Good Lord, you're worse than Hayato…" Tsuna mumbled. "Are you this way with Xanxus too or is it because I'm younger and more compact?"

Squalo knew better than to take the bait—Xanxus jibed at his height enough with the term _mini-boss_. So far, only he and Xanxus were allowed to call him that but in this case, he couldn't help. "You mean shorter?" Tsuna reached out, his fingers trailing over his chest before his fingers dug into the flesh surrounding his nipple and he twisted. Squalo grunted at the pain, yanking away and rubbing the now-throbbing bud. "That fucking hurt! You set yourself up, _mini-_boss."

Tsuna dismissed the insult this time around which Squalo was thankful for because he wasn't sure his nerve-endings could handle the abuse. "No… I'm just going to be in bed." '_I hope he interprets that as sleeping._' Tsuna prayed. "I think I saw the original _One Life to Live_ on TV. Shitty ass show… good for inducing sleep."

"American Soaps usually are." Squalo agreed, smirking in amusement before slipping out of the hotel soundlessly without any words of farewell—usually goodbyes meant something darker in their line of work. Not even a second later, Tsuna was being pinned to the couch, his arms above his head and narrow hips being ground against Reborn's.

"You're getting sneaky as you get older." Reborn commented, his artificially-blue eyes flashing mischievously—the contacts were designed to fade while they slept.

"Maybe." Tsuna simpered.

"This isn't a good idea." Reborn added.

"Probably not… but I can't seem to think of a better one." Tsuna's arms wound around Reborn's neck.

"Hm… neither can I…" And then his mouth was on Tsuna's. Tsuna expected the kiss to be rough but was surprised to feel gentleness, warm curiosity. There was no urgency, only the searing reminder of the first time they had sex. It was nothing like his time with Xanxus—which was fueled by an animalistic lust brought on by a drug.

Sliding his mouth down, Reborn scraped his teeth over the pulse beating frantically in Tsuna's neck. Trailing wet kisses along the younger man's throat, he eased his way down until he reached Tsuna's chest. Sucking and licking at the tender bud, he unerringly found a combination that had Tsuna arching violently even as he cried out. Each mind-blowing throb sent more arousal down his spine and making his sex pulsate even more. Leaving Tsuna's now hard and inflamed nipples, Reborn scooted moved down and traced the slim line of Tsuna's stomach with his tongue.

Tsuna could only cry out when Reborn's hot and heavy arousal rubbed against his equally aroused length. They rubbed together, burning, aching, _needing_… but never coming, never climaxing. "Nngh… t-tease!" Tsuna finally managed after countless attempts.

"Tch… don't you feel how _hot_ I am for you?" Reborn asked, his lips catching Tsuna's throat again.

"P-please!" Tsuna pleaded his eyes wide with lust and pure arousal. Reborn growled, forcing his legs apart and driving himself into Tsuna with one violent thrust. Tsuna's fingers clawed, digging into his back, holding onto him for dear life as he claimed him. _This_ is what Tsuna wanted; _this_ is what he needed. He didn't deserve the light treatment—it wasn't what he wanted anyways. Rough, inhibited and wild sex. No restraints on his desires, on his passion…

His thoughts twisted, mangled beyond comprehension as a heated spasm throbbed through his veins—his climax paralyzed him as it had down the previous times he had given up his dominating preface. Even Reborn, whose face became lax and hungry with desire as they had progressed, was releasing all of his cold reticence as they plunged wildly into the thralls of pleasure.

Tsuna and Reborn lay there, panting with exertion, with a giddy sort of exhaustion that made them feel as if they were flying. Reborn's head rested against his neck in a lover's embrace.

But was it really? Tsuna thought about it for a few moments before deciding to reproach these thoughts when he wasn't on a mission.

**_Tsuzukeru._**

* * *

Are any of you guys interested in the dances being featured? Geh, probably not... oh! Stay tuned for more action! Next chapter is the end of the filler and on with the hunt. Also, expect some foreshadowing thrown about.

Oh, just so you know, I had to rewrite this chapter (and the four others that came along with it) **_SEVEN FUCKING TIMES_**before I was satisfied with the way it turned out. Let me know if things are starting to get a little confusing. Remember though! With high action-plots like this, you have to slow down, go back and actually _read _those long blotches of words. You can't just skim in this one. In some places it moves very fast but in others, it's just kinda... sit back and enjoy the humor (geh, me and my crazy mind at work) but this is the end of the filler conversations and on with the action.

Oh! And I should probably note one line... "_But was it really? Tsuna thought about it for a few moments before deciding to reproach these thoughts when he wasn't on a mission._" That means he's starting to think about how lonely it is at the top without a lover by his side... oh and also look out for some severe Kyoko-bashing later on... that's when I'll also go into detail about Haru's alteration in character and why she became an assassin... and the mental state that makes her a Cloud.

Thanks for reading~!


	12. Chapter 12: New Leads and More Questions

**_Author's Note:_ **I feel so bad! I leave you hanging for three months and the chapter I have to offer has _het_ in it! I know I said that I was done with the lack of violence but it appears that my mind was mush in this case.

So in this chapter I give you a speculation of how much time has actually passed since Tsuna disappeared (a week has passed) and some more hints as to what happened between Kyoko and Tsuna. There is a despicable lack of Xanxus in this chapter which I will make up for in the next.

Once again, I apologize for the long wait.

* * *

The sun berated down on the glittering grass. Soft, musical laughter pealed threw the air. "It's so beautiful here, Tsu-kun!" Kyoko practically sang. With more pealing laughter, she cupped her hands and flung some water from the stream at the unsuspecting brunette.

"You're going to pay for that." Tsunayoshi purred playfully. Dark brown eyes took on the amber tint that he usually got when he was being playful. When he reached for her, she danced out of his grasp. "Kyoko…" He growled but it was a playful growl as he twisted towards her.

This time, when he grabbed her, she hadn't put up any resistance. She aligned her body with his, moving her hips in a sensual dance that required no music for assistance. "Take me, Tsunayoshi-kun." She breathed.

With the sun pouring in like a stream through the cracks in-between the leaves, he lead her to a heavily covered area with a soft cotton blanket spread out on the smooth underbrush. The moment she was completely bare, he traced his tongue down her chest, over the curve of her belly and then finally, to her sweet spot.

He licked and she shivered.

He stroked and she whimpered.

He sucked and she spilled over—_sensitive, oh so sensitive_, he had teased her at the time—crying out his name.

Kyoko spread her fingers in his mousy brown locks as she reached her first climax of that evening. It certainly wouldn't be the last either. "Tsu-kun—_ah_—please! I n_ee_d you! Give me—nngh—what I—_hah_—need."

"Hn…" Tsuna purred as he leaned down to kiss her. She could taste herself on his lips and it only made him that much more desirable. Fully erect against her, she took a breath and he jerked his hips forward. "I love you… love you… love you so much." She whispered as he delved and withdrew, thrust and pull, with her legs wrapped tightly around his waist. What felt like an eternity later, she shuddered and cried out, her fingernails digging sharply into his back as he, too, spilled over into bliss. "I'll love you forever, Sawada Tsunayoshi-kun." She crooned.

Forever…

* * *

Sasagawa Kyoko woke up with the word '_forever_' on her lips. She sat up right in the bed, her cheeks flushed and skin moist with perspiration as her body remembered the orgasm she had in her dream—a dream that felt so real.

But that was it. It had been real. It was only a year ago that they were going into the forest for days of relaxation to make love in a way that should have been reserved for lovers alone. It was only a year ago… but it felt like an eternity. She and Tsuna had been in a very real relationship and very much in love at the time.

But then she had gone and fucked it all up.

Doing her best not to think of the erotic memories that threatened to consume her, she walked into the bathroom and quickly washed away the scent of her dream before grabbing a yellow sundress and pulling it on. When she was dressed, Kyoko looked at herself in the full-length mirror. At the fresh age of seventeen, she had changed a lot from her middle-school years. Her hair was longer, now sweeping past her shoulders and crimping up slightly when it wasn't heavy with water. Her body had filled out but her form was nowhere near as attractive as Bianchi's—she thought this with a sneer that ruined her delicate features.

Deciding that she'd admired herself enough, Kyoko opened the door and walked into the living room of the flat she was currently staying in. Kurokawa Hana—high school graduate—was cooking breakfast for the two of them. They started living together after Kyoko's parents died in a car accident almost a year before she started high school. Ryohei, her elder brother, lived with Gokudera Hayato—which she thought was a bad idea all around—but was dating Hana who, at this point, knew everything about where he went during any and all school breaks.

Where they disappeared a week ago.

Taking in her fresh appearance, Hana was not fooled. "Another dream about Sawada?" She asked.

Hana was one of the few people who knew what happened between Tsuna and Kyoko the night they split. Not even Tsuna's Guardians knew the whole story. Hana also knew that Kyoko had not stopped loving him either.

"Mm," She hummed in acknowledgement.

"You can't hide it forever, Kyoko." It was blunt, straightforward—so much so that Kyoko flinched at how carelessly the words had been thrown out there… if Hana did _carelessly_ at all. Her friend had seen it but only gave her a flat stare in return. "Did his group of lackeys threaten you?" She demanded.

"Not his Guardians…" Kyoko murmured.

"Who then?!" She demanded in a way that could only be described as imperiously. Everything Hana did had that air of disdain to her. Only Kyoko, Tsunayoshi, Ryohei, Reborn and Hibari saw through it.

"Reborn-san…" Kyoko replied softly. "Hibari-san enforced it. Every time I tried to talk to him about… well, anything, really, Hibari-san would always interfere in one way or the other." Kyoko sighed. "I'm going out for a bit. Do you want to come?"

"No. I have a date with Doc tonight." Hana said dismissively.

Doc was an old fat tabby with bottlebrush fur and a flat face as though he had run headlong into the back end of a car. He was quite large and a brilliant shade of orange—almost to the point of being red. When he meowed, he sounded like he was complaining about anything and everything wrong in the world. Ryohei had found him when he was a kitten on the side of the road and, after nursing him back to health with Tsuna's aid, gave him to Hana. When she asked Tsuna why he didn't keep the cat, Tsuna told her that he already had one and he was the jealous type.

At the time, she had laughed and brushed it off. It had been later that she realized that his 'cat' was actually a weapon.

"Well then I won't keep you." She grinned and started in on her breakfast.

* * *

Tsuna sighed as he stepped out of the shower. His back wasn't completely healed—it was now a tender white scar that would fade in a few weeks. The tissue and nerves underneath his skin were healed but his flesh, itself, was still tender to the touch… not that that would stop him from having sex. Reborn had picked up where Lussuria left off on the plane but neither he nor Xanxus had been very pleased with him and lectured him on the importance of allowing people to protect him. Reborn hadn't said much regarding the subject as they had still been on shaky ground.

As he let his mind wander, Tsuna was brought to the dream he had woken up from. It was a memory that he had desperately tried to push away after stirring. With cat-like grace and the silence only an assassin could muster, Tsuna had gotten up and ducked into the shower. He had loved Kyoko very much but he could honestly say that now, he felt nothing towards her. Not after what she did—after what she said.

Tsuna shook his head. He had other things he should be thinking about right now. This was no time to wallow in self-pity over a relationship that he knew would have never worked. Kyoko was shallow, vain and a bit thick. She turned a blind eye for all the bad things in life but when she saw it first hand, she abandoned the people involved. End of story.

Tsuna forced himself to think about the mission at hand. Squalo had yet to check in but they weren't particularly worried as lack of progress in this case was preferable to the alternative. When Reborn walked out on the balcony to join him, Tsuna smiled. "How many assassins visited us while we I was asleep?" He asked.

"Twenty three in total. Half of them were allies with the Vongola, one of them was offering up more information—some not actually false—and the rest are going to sell it to other Dons." Reborn smirked a bit.

"How long was I asleep?" Tsuna asked.

"You call that sleep?" Reborn raised an eyebrow. "You were restless."

"I always am after…" Tsuna trailed off, unable to bring himself to admit what it was he was doing.

"Only for a few hours. It's almost three in the morning." Reborn replied.

"Has Squalo checked in?" Tsuna asked.

"He should be scouting the top floor right about now." Reborn replied. "Don't push yourself." He added, putting a hand on Tsuna's shoulder before turning back inside. Tsuna was thankful because if Reborn knew anything, it was when someone wanted to be alone.

* * *

'_Well, well, well…_' Squalo mused with a slight upturn of his lips as he eyed the yellow caution tape with both Italian and English warnings written on it. '_What do we have here?_' In a hotel full of assassins, caution tape usually meant 'there is something illegal by moralistic standards going on back here. Come in and be shot' but in this case, this was exactly what he was looking for.

Reaching into his jacket pocket, he pulled out a small card about the size of a platinum credit card and ran it down the side of the door the caution tape was blocking. With skills only an assassin could muster, he slipped through the tape and closed the door behind him, making sure the cameras didn't see him as he did so.

"Bingo," He purred as he stepped into the room shaped like a baseball diamond. It was a small observational room that scanned the screens. He leaned forward a bit, his hand brushing the controls but not disturbing them, and frowned. Nothing seemed out of place. After a few moments of looking at the screens, Squalo moved to the other side of the room and scanned the walls. After coming across what he was looking for—that being the electric control box—he moved the cover away just in time for a small slip of paper to fall from there.

'_Oh-hoh… I think I've just hit the jack-pot._' Squalo thought as a shark-like grin threatened to split his face.

* * *

"_Wait, you're saying **she** is a **he**?_" Xanxus demanded. He sounded incredulous.

"That was my first reaction." Tsuna snorted, his frown becoming prominent. "Freelance assassins don't generally have any blood ties. I've already run the facial recognition software. The man in the picture is Felicia Calidori." Tsuna rubbed his eyes with his index finger and thumb. This investigation was getting stranger and stranger the further along it got. "Most people who are born male but later change to the female derivation of their name. Felicia is a female take on Felipe. See if you can find anything like that in the records. If it's possible, expand your search to American records."

"_I don't think that will work._" Lussuria commented.

"Oh, it'll work. Hayato, get in contact with Verde. Have him run the photo against any and all foreign databases including American, Mexican, Cuban, Japanese and Israeli." Tsuna said absently. "I'm sure he'll like the challenge." He mused.

"_What are you going to do in the mean time?_" Hayato asked.

Tsuna opened his mouth to reply but whatever he was going to say was cut off when a knock at the door resounded. Tsuna stepped back into the shadows, blending in seamlessly while Reborn walked over to the door and opened it.

"A complimentary spread, courtesy of the company CEO," The bell boy said curtly, pushing the cart in. "Is there anything I can get for you, _Signore_ Raisen?"

"No, that will be all. _Grazie, signore_." Reborn replied politely.

"_Did I hear that correctly?_" Takeshi said, his voice uncharacteristically level. "_CEO… somehow I doubt that is coincidence._"

Tsuna stepped out and looked at the spread. His eyes narrowed slightly as something in particular caught his eye. "This brand of wine is translated to 'black rose'. It's French and very expensive but most commonly it's used at funerals."

"_Black roses also signify death._" Mukuro mused—they had switched the communication method to the laptop sitting on the coffee table. It was audio only and they would transfer it back later. "_The kiss of death… metaphorically speaking._"

"We can safely assume that Felicia knows we're here and what aliases we've taken but the fact of the matter remains that she has yet to call us out and we're still lacking information as to why she gagged and bagged me." Tsuna said. '_Perhaps that is the most disturbing puzzle of all… why would she go through all that trouble only to let me escape in the end? Was it even her plan at all? Somehow, I imagine someone of her nature leeching off of Zarkov's tender love and care._'

"Care to share those thoughts?" Reborn asked.

"I can't imagine an assassin of Felicia's nature actually caring for Zarkov." Tsuna finally said. "When Verde comes up with the name, I want some digging done. I have a feeling that this goes a hell of a lot deeper than some harsh words and a few bullets. This reeks of revenge to me—but revenge on what… well, I'll leave you to speculate."

"_Do you want Verde to background check whatever name he pulls up?_" Haru asked.

"If he's that bored." Which meant drop hints casually and see if he takes the bait. Tsuna knew he would. Verde liked him after all.

"_Will do. What will you do in the meantime?_" Haru inquired.

"I think we can safely assume that this part of our investigation is over. We'll be checking out as soon as the front desk opens." Tsuna granted. "For now, I'm going to see if I can recognize Felicia's signature. I only got a brief feel of it from where Xanxus and I were being kept but it is enough for me to track her if she's within my range."

"_Don't strain yourself, Tsunayoshi._" Hibari practically purred. Tsuna smirked a bit.

"Careful, _Kyoya_, people might start to think you actually care about me." The resounding '_crunch_' told him that Hibari had just crushed his receiver. Tsuna only laughed at his Cloud's antics.

* * *

"You know, whatever big plan Vongola has regarding the Vendice was supposed to be underway already." Verde mused.

"Something came up." Haru replied.

"Mm, I noticed. That's something that seems to happen a lot with him. Is there anything I can do to help?" The slight glimmer in his smoke-colored eyes meant he was excited by that aspect.

Over the years, Verde had grown rather fond of Tsuna, even going so far as to research things that could aid the Vongola. Officially, he wasn't an ally—actually, he was still considered an enemy by means of the CEDEF (which is one of the reasons Iemitsu and Tsuna didn't get along)—but unofficially, he acted as a liaison between Gesso and Vongola. The change in their relationship started when Tsuna lifted the curse of the Arcobaleno a year and a half after the unconventional—because there was no other word that could be used to describe it—trip to the future. Endless hours of research finally led to a break which allowed them to be freed from their infantile forms but still able to perform their duties as Arcobaleno.

Because of his young flame, they had been restored to teenagers instead of their original forms. Skull, who was the youngest, was apparently fourteen while Colonnello, who was oldest, was nineteen. Verde said that Tsuna's flame was still young and he wasn't expecting it to work completely but it did the trick—they were no longer babies and that was all that mattered. After setting down some strict ground rules, the two of them agreed to an armed truce.

Verde liked a challenge. Tsuna provided that challenge. Needless to say, a friendship—however twisted—grew from there.

"This is a list of names of one assassin." Haru said, tossing a file onto the counter. "There's a picture as well. The problem is that, while this particular assassin is female, we think she was born male."

Verde looked at her flatly before a slow, anticipating grin made its way onto his face. "Vongola attracts the strangest of enemies."

"I don't hear you complaining." Haru countered.

"Oh, you won't." Verde sat down on the office chair and slid across the room. "I contact Vongola correctly?"

"After ten thirty, yes." Haru nodded. "I'm sure he's eagerly awaiting your delivery."

"Mm, I bet." Verde hummed before he turned his attention to the screen in front of him. He didn't even notice when Haru left.

* * *

A spider was crawling on the wall beside her.

Kyoko shuddered with disgust and flicked the bug away. She hated spiders… almost as much as she hated this dark, damp and cold cellar that teemed with them. Oh well, she thought. It was better spiders than rats. Rats bit and they carried diseases. Spiders could be dismissed with the flick of a finger.

Now, many would wonder what a beautiful woman with long, flowing blonde hair was doing in a dreary cell like this. Her eyes were a wonderful shade of amber that matched her flowing hair that crimped up and she was clad in clothes that could be considered middle class based at the very least. Only two hours previously, she had been walking the streets of Namimori's business district to get some dinner for the flat she had been sharing with Kurokawa Hana—her best friend—when someone stepped up behind her and pressed a cloth to her mouth. It smelled awful and the scent made her head spin.

And that was the last thing she remembered before waking up in a cell that was barely six-feet wide.

Why was she here? That was an easy question. Her brother and his girlfriend, her best friend and her ex-boyfriend were all in the Mafia. How had they connected back to her? That was the real question.

She had no way of defending herself if her captors were to make an appearance… she knew that. The only hope she had was to cooperate…

Or be killed for it.

**_Tsuzukeru._**

* * *

**_Thanks for reading~!_**


	13. Chapter 13: Betrayals of Passion

**_Author's Note:_ **My updates have slowed down, I know. There are multiple reasons behind that starting with I hadn't planned how Kyoko's betrayal would play out-or even how it was she betrayed him, exactly. This chapter shows her betrayal. It's mostly a filler, I guess. It's short but so be it.

This year has been the shittiest year of my life. At this rate, school is starting up in a week and I don't know if I'll be able to keep up a constant schedule. I apologize in advance for any confusion. Also, since I can't do this myself, if one of my faithful reviewers would like to go through my chapters and find out where the page-breaks don't show up, I'd be willing to go through and fix that the next time I have time.

Well, on with the story, yes?

* * *

The brunette's eye twitched in irritation. "I tolerate your presence through a phone line. That does not mean I want to interact with you in person." Why Verde insisted on a meeting, Tsuna hadn't the faintest idea but the information he gave was always brilliant so he tolerated it. Verde, who was wearing a black sweater and a pair of was-faded jeans, smirked in a way that made Tsuna want to punch something. Or set it on fire.

His fucking glasses would do nicely.

It had been almost a full twenty four hours since the recon mission and it was quite clear that Tsuna hadn't been getting enough sleep. The leads had all gone cold and they had yet to establish a motive. Reborn had vanished to Lord knew where and Tsuna had a migraine from overusing his Synesthesia the day before and all for nothing. He was so not in a mood to deal with the noisy afternoon sounds of the café in the middle of Sicily. "That's a pity. I like the challenge you present therefore, you have my company."

Tsuna cursed under his breath. "Just give me the information. I have a headache and I don't want to deal with company any longer than necessary."

"Hm…" Verde hummed in that noncommittal way that grated against Tsuna's patients. Sensing that Tsuna was not going to humor his game, Verde decided it was best to get to the chase. "Felipe Ramirez of Mexican descent. He was born in Mexico City and later migrated south to Brazil where his father served as a waiter in one of the many hotels. He went to school for interior design in San Diego, California but dropped out after the first semester because of a rape case that turned sour. At the time, he had no former connections with the Mafia… his father was suspected of money laundering from a major drug lord that crossed international borders in the late seventies but the accusations were never proven."

"Who were the main suspects?" Tsuna asked. It was unfortunate but rape was a common crime in the Mafia especially when it involved the sons and daughters of drug lords and human trafficking—both crimes Tsuna despised greatly. He was working on purging the deeper parts of the underground before he started towards the surface. Once it was purged… well, he would just have to see what happened from there. There were no guarantees that he would survive, after all—even if Byakuran was on his side now.

"That's where things get sour. Two of the suspects were Russian natives, Demetrius and Alfred Zarkov. The third was an American by the name of Velyo Rodgers."

"Velyo Rodgers…" Tsuna said slowly. "Is there anything else?"

"There can be." Verde granted after a moment of mulling.

"No, thank you. I'll transfer your usual amount this afternoon." Tsuna smiled a bit but Verde knew a dismissal when he heard one. Tsuna stood up and adjusted his sun-glasses. His outfit consisted of a white beret to cover his fluffy hair, black sunglasses, a white shirt and a pair of black, boot-cut jeans. The outfit itself was gender neutral.

"_Grazie signora_," Tsuna said, smiling politely at the waitress as she collected his cup of espresso—_damn you, Reborn. Your traits are rubbing off on me_—and quickly retreated from the café with the file in hand. He had a report to give.

* * *

"What are the names?" Reborn asked after Harry had given a run-down.

"Alfred and Demetrius Zarkov and Velyo Rodgers." Tsuna replied.

"Fuck me!" Xanxus snapped. "I should have known that bastard would come back for revenge."

"Revenge?" Tsuna asked.

"Velyo Rodgers was the alias Federico took on after the American branch was on the brink of war with the Colombians. Fucking trashes." He seemed to have added the last insult as an afterthought. Tsuna resisted the urge to start laughing. "Demetrius and Zarkov had been deported as they were their illegally and there wasn't sufficient evidence pointing to 'Velyo' so it turned cold after Federico left. There shouldn't have been a trail linking back to Federico but…"

Tsuna hummed in thought. "I know that this is going to sound weird but executions that are fulfilled are kept for the duration of one week after the fact for processing and staging, right? Have an autopsy done on Zarkov's body… I have a feeling that we may have missed something that should have been obvious."

"Why do you think that?" Hayato asked.

"She has the right motive for it. She wants revenge after all. Demetrius and Alfred do seem like the type to take what they want and after what everything they've tried… well I wouldn't put it past them to violate someone else in such a way." Tsuna paused and then frowned a bit.

"What is it?" Reborn asked. He had been silent up until now, looming in the shadows.

"Nothing… at least, not for the moment." Tsuna replied absently. But it wasn't '_nothing_' as he claimed. His head ached worse than it had earlier in the day and this wasn't the type of thing that could be pushed aside. The last time something like this had happened and he ignored it, he had lost the woman he loved to a scornful assassin's manipulations.

And his best friends lost their innocence.

"What's that Vongola instinct telling you now?" Reborn asked with a predatory smirk. Tsuna felt heat coil at the base of his stomach. He pushed it aside for the sake of answering his question.

"I don't know for sure but I have a nagging suspicion that both of them were already dead men walking before we even got to him. Hibari, can you get the autopsy report from Japan's medical records?" Tsuna looked up just as his Cloud walked in.

"What do you think I was doing?" Hibari asked, holding up a folder. "I pulled a favor from the Triad who intercepted the mail plane that had Demetrius' file on it. I'll have Kurozumi-san dispose of his corpse under mysterious circumstances."

"Have I ever told you that I'm madly in love with you?" Tsuna asked, flipping through the file with a sweet smile.

"No but there are ways for you to show me how much you love me." Hibari's lips curled into a shark-like grin. His eyes gleamed with a predatory light that held so many implications behind it that Tsuna was hard-pressed not to blush and stammer like a teenage girl.

"I'm honored I've enraptured your attention on such a level." Tsuna's sweet smile turned mockingly wistful. "But it would never work between us. You're just too predatory for my taste."

A dark chuckle shook Hibari's shoulders. "Then maybe you should stop being the perfect prey." Tsuna looked up at Hibari to question him but the ex-prefect had already left the meeting room.

"I'll never understand him." Hayato said exasperatedly.

"I think Tsuna and Reborn are the only two who ever will." Takeshi remarked. "They're both predators after all."

* * *

**_BANG!_**

The gun's recoil shook his arm.

**_BANG! BANG! BANG!_**

The autopsy report had confirmed his suspicions. Both men had traces of liquid nitrogen in their esophagus and intestines. One warm cocktail was all it would have taken to end their lives.

**_BANG!_**

When Tsuna fired the final shot, he felt the warmth of the gun radiating in his hands—it was a sensation unlike any other. It calmed him. One by one, Tsuna emptied the clip before he sighed and lowered the weapon. Shifting it to one hand, he put a hand on his shoulder as though to feel the slash engraved into his flesh. '_Just another scar._' He thought blithely. '_It means nothing._'

But did it truly? His scars had been the reason Kyoko denied him the first time—when they had first got together. She had reacted badly to say the least. "Last place I thought I'd find you." Xanxus mused causing Tsuna to whirl around and point the quickly-reloaded gun at him. "Easy, mini-boss. There's no need for any of that."

Tsuna lowered his gun and sighed. "Don't sneak up on me." He said coldly, turning his attention back to the target which had about twenty holes in it by now. He glared at it as though it gravely offended him before raising aim again and letting the bullets fly.

Kyoko, at one point, had meant the entire world to Tsuna. She had been his source of _normal_… but now, whenever he saw her, he didn't feel that uneven pang in his chest. He felt guilt and anger but no love or compassion—guilt because he had dragged her into the dark, dank world that he was forced to be a part of and anger because she betrayed him.

Before he could stop it, the thin string binding the images from that night snapped and the memory—as fresh as though it had only happened yesterday—flew to the surface of his mind.

**_Flashback_**

"Nnh—_Kuro-kun!_" The voice rings out through the room and Tsuna nearly has a heart attack, grabbing his gun and whipping around in the hallway. The source of the voice seemed to be the alit room with a slightly ajar door. Tsuna felt his eyes narrowing. He keeps his gun ready and nudged the slightly ajar door open. "_More!_" Tsuna frowned as he scanned the small room. The voice was coming from the TV which was faced away from the door. The man watching it had dark hair and glazed blue eyes. He was dead if the bullet hole in-between his eyes were any clue. "_Ahh!_" The female voice cried out.

'_I'll never understand why assassins watch porn in their free time._' Tsuna thought with disdain. He stepped into the room and looked around. The only inhabitant was dead and it was recent. '_Another dead end—Yameda Kuromatsu._' Tsuna sighed. '_I won't get any closer at this rate…_'

"_Kyoko…_" Tsuna stiffened and turned towards the TV. "_Kyoko, wait! It's not what you think! Please, let me explain!_"

"_You were recording us having **sex**! What am I supposed to think?!_"

At the shrill demands, Tsuna frowned. This looked like a blackmail video but the woman's face isn't recorded. Grabbing the remote from Kuromatsu's hand, Tsuna rewound the video to the beginning. The cops weren't due to make an appearance until someone called them and Tsuna certainly wasn't going to call them.

Tsuna isn't sure when he realized that there was something distinctly familiar about the sped up figures doing things in reverse but he knew that there was _something_ going on there. It's at that point that he realizes that he really, really shouldn't be watching this video. He knew even before he pressed play that it was going to end badly.

When Tsuna pressed play, he almost stumbled back as though he had been shot down by one of Reborn's bullets. His stomach tightens and he forgets how to breathe as the images on the screen pound into his memory. On the screen, Sawagawa Kyoko, is languidly moving her hips as she straddles another man—Yameda Kuromatsu to be more specific. Tsuna felt white-hot rage coil in his gut and before he realized what he was doing, he fired the gun at the TV screen with a shrill snarl that could have been a scream.

How could she…? How _could_ she?! He had been prepared to give her everything!

The sound of footsteps made Tsuna stir from his angered and hurt state. "Who's there?!" He demanded, raising his gun towards the door. A startled gasp erupted from the person standing there. "Kyoko-chan…"

"You… you monster…" Kyoko whispered, a hand against her mouth as she took in the scene before her.

**_End._**

'_She called me a monster…_' Tsuna thought bitterly. '_But wasn't it her that was the monster to begin with?_'

Xanxus' eyes narrowed into slits as the Vongola don's eyes vanished behind the shadow of his fringe. "I still have to lecture you on regulation." Xanxus said, stirring Tsuna from his bitterly nostalgic thoughts. Tsuna snorted.

"Reborn's right, you know. Regulation is a bunch of bullshit in my book." Tsuna took the ear-muffs off and set the gun down on the table. He reached into the cabinet and pulled out a black case. The two of them sat in silence while Tsuna cleaned the gun he had fired, piece by piece before letting the pieces click back into place. "Why else are you here?" Tsuna asked as he put the stuff away.

"Can't I enjoy your company?" Xanxus asked innocently.

"Xanxus, my Guardians don't come near me when I'm focusing my shooting range. _Reborn_ doesn't even come near me when I'm here. I'll ask you again." Tsuna's eyes became cold and emotionless. "_Why_ are you here?"

Xanxus twitched—the movement was him suppressing reflexes, Tsuna knew. "Reborn warned me that you were thinking about the past. I'm here to distract you."

Tsuna's eyes widened slightly before he smirked. "You think you can distract me." He worded it as though it were a statement and a ludicrous one at that. "How would you purpose to do that?"

"Like this," Xanxus said and that was all the forewarning he had before narrow hips were grinding forcefully against his own. Tsuna would have gasped if his mouth wasn't so busy.

'_Well…_' Tsuna thought as their clothes fluttered to the floor. '_There go my plans on sulking for the rest of the afternoon._'

_**Tsuzukeru.**_

* * *

Well... that was certainly a chore to write. There's some more Xanxus for you. Is it me or is there a lot of sex going on? The lack of romance makes me think I should cut the romance genre and change it to action or something more fitting.

Slowly but surely this story will reach completion. Well, that's all for now, I suppose.

**_Thanks for reading~!_**


End file.
